The Mark of Cain
by touyatouya
Summary: -Discontinued- The fifteenth angel has arrived... And while Shinji crumbles, Kaji and Gendo play a game with Asuka's life. But this time, the Angel did not come alone...
1. Default Chapter

  
EVANGELION: The Mark of Cain  
A fanfic tribute to NGE written by Ender.   
Evangelion and all its characters are owned by Gainax. Everything else you don't find in the show or the manga is mine.  
Intro Note: Regardless of appearances, neither Kensuke nor Kaji is the protagonist of this fic. :) Shinji's still the main character - it's just that since my divergence starts during the month he spends absorbed in Unit 01, I can't give him that much screen time. (It'd just be a rehash of episode 20 if I did.)Yes there will be new characters (no sixth child though) but I have no interest in stealing the spotlight from Shinji and the rest of the main cast.  
Many, many thanks to Dan Snyder for the pre-read :)  
  
Prologue: Transistasis  
  
=The Present=  
  
~Kaoru Nagisa~  
  
Red eyes opened - quick enough to indicate wakefulness but slow enough to show calm. The gray haired boy suspended in yellow liquid turned his gaze towards one of the lilim who were standing around the transparent cylinder which encased his form. A young, female human was currently staring at him with intensity, so the boy figured her to be the originator of the voice.   
  
"Yes?"   
  
The lilim jerked in surprise, then scuttled towards the back of the room with wide eyes, while the other humans exchanged meaningful looks amongst themselves. The boy watched them for a moment more, then closed his eyes again.  
  
~Kaoru Nagisa~  
  
The bearded scientist looked up, blinked twice behind octagonal glasses, then after looking around to make sure he was the object of the question, answered in a wary voice.  
  
"Uhm... what is it Nagisa?"  
  
"You called my name?"  
  
The scientist blinked once more, then looked to those nearby who merely answered his gaze with a shrug.  
"Ah, you were probably mistaken - I didn't call you. Just return to your rest Kaoru."  
  
The boy did not think he had been mistaken, but he closed his eyes once more in acquiescence. Moments later he heard the voice again, one unfamiliar to him.  
  
~Kaoru Nagisa~  
  
Once more the boy opened his eyes. This time he turned to a silver haired man on his left side.  
  
"You called me, and here I am."  
  
The older man scowled in response and stared hard at the boy before turning to one of his companions. "Why is he doing that?" At his companions baffled look, the silver haired man turned to the boy once more. "I did not call you Nagisa - return to your rest."  
  
The boy resumed his silence, but this time he did not close his eyes. Instead he watched the nervous faces of the lilim around him. The voice had not been one he recognized - in fact it had seemed somehow different from a normal voice, one that seemed to bypass his senses and enter instead directly into his mind. When next the voice called, the boy was ready - and even had the boy had not observed that none of the lilim had moved their lips when the voice was heard, the name it called him alone would have been enough to confirm his suspicions.  
  
~Tabris~ called the voice in his mind. ~Tabiris...~  
  
The boy raised his head in answer to the call.  
  
"Speak lord. I am listening"  
  
With his answer came a dull roaring in his ears, and the boy felt himself descend into the floor. He saw the astonished, panicked expressions of the lilim, but none of the scientists of the 5th Branch of SEELE could do anything to halt the last Angel as he disappeared into a Dirac Sea...  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
=The Past: 33 days previously=  
  
~A little more here, a little more there... or did I water that one already? Ah forget it...~  
  
It was hard to concentrate on gardening when there was a giant robot - or humanoid - going berserk not a kilometer away.  
  
Kaji Ryouji looked up as Unit 01 reared its head and roared into the night. To the casual observer, the spy would seem to be taking everything pretty well. Shinji's EVA had just defeated the latest angel in the most horrifying manner possible - it had eaten it, taking the Angels S^2 engine into itself. The Evangelion had already freed its arms of its restraints, and the arms that had emerged looked disturbingly, frighteningly, human. Perhaps if Kaji had not known of the EVA's nature beforehand, he would have been as mightily shocked as the rest - then again, maybe not. A spy didn't survive for very long if he was easily surprised, and Kaji had quite a talent for flippancy in the face of danger. As things stood, the sight merely brought a lazy smile to the spy's face.  
  
"Unit 01 is awake and has been set free... SEELE sure won't stay quiet for this. Was this part of your scenario Commander Ikari?"  
  
As the words left his mouth, Kaji glimpsed a flash of movement to his left. As he turned his attention to the wooded area before him, a uniformed NERV security agent came into view for a moment, moving away from Kaji. The spy clearly saw the glint of a gun in the agents' hand before the man disappeared from view.   
  
~This really is none of my business~ Kaji thought to himself. ~I have my hands full already keeping an eye on Shinji's EVA - no need to go looking for trouble~  
  
Even as he thought this however, Kaji was already drawing his pistol from his shoulder harness and running stealthily towards the forest.   
  
~One of these days my 'nose for trouble' is going to get the rest of my head removed from my body~ Kaji sighed, then grinned. ~Ah, so I might as well enjoy it while I have it then eh?~  
  
As he entered the forest, he quickly spotted the security agent crouched behind a tree, gun at the ready. Kaji had to wonder what kind of security threat could exist that could distract an agent from the horror of Unit 01's awakening. Soon enough, the spy had his answer. As the agent switched his position, Kaji could see further ahead a small rise, and atop it, a brown haired youngster with thick glasses, the lenses of which were pressed to the eyepiece of a handy, portable camcorder - which in turn was pointed at the looming form of Unit 01.  
  
Kaji cursed. What was Kensuke doing out here? And with his camera... suddenly the Agent's presence became clear. Cameras and recording devices were banned from NERV and its vicinity - images of the EVA's and the Angels was just too sensitive to allow for the possibility of the general public getting a hold of them. None of the NERV staff were allowed to own recording devices - Kaji himself had yet to acquire a hidden camera that could fool the periodic sweeps routinely made by NERV Security. How Kensuke had managed to get this far Kaji didn't know, but it was clear the boy's life was in danger... a film of Unit 01 in its present state would be a dangerous weapon in the hands of NERV's many enemies...   
  
That more than anything tipped Kaji's hand as he raised his own gun as the agent was taking aim at Kensuke's head.  
  
*CRACK *  
  
Unit 01's roars masked the sound of his pistol firing, so Kaji wasn't surprised that the boy remained oblivious to the sound it made - and the sound of the agents body hitting the ground. After firing twice more into the body just to be sure, Kaji walked up behind Kensuke, who was so engrossed in the scene that he failed to notice the older man until he spoke into the boys ear.  
  
"Make sure you get her good side," Kaji whispered, smiling slightly at the yelp Kensuke let out as he jumped, then turned to look at Kaji.  
  
"Mr... Mr.Kaji! What- what are you dong here?"  
  
Kaji tilted his head and gave the boy an odd look. "That seems to be the line of the day... and again it's really more applicable to you than to me eh Kensuke?"  
  
Kensuke gulped and ducked his head. "I -well, uhm, I wasn't able to get into the shelter in time and I-"  
  
Kaji held up a hand. "Kensuke, I'm not your old sensei. 'My dog ate it' type excuses don't hold water with me." Before the boy could stammer out something else, another burst of movement caught Kaji's eye. Without hesitation he threw himself at the boy, and the two of them crashed into the ground a few meters away just as bullets shot by them. Kaji recovered quickly and rose, pistol in hand, firing indiscriminately at first, but luckily one of his shots entered the agents throat and he died before he could get a bead on Kaji.  
  
The spy grinned. ~Looks like Shinji isn't the only one who has luck as a part of his talent~ he thought as he helped a shaky Kensuke up.  
  
"That- that was a NERV security agent! I saw them when they took Shinji back after he ran away... why were they shooting at you Mr. Kaji?"  
  
Kaji shook his head. "They weren't gunning for me Kensuke. Those shots were meant for you."  
  
The boy looked shocked. "N... no WAY!"  
  
Silently the older man turned and pointed towards the corpse of the first agent he had killed. "I shot that one just as he was aiming for your head Kensuke - trust me, in my business, you sort of learn to recognize when someone wants to kill you. You my friend, are in a whole lot of trouble..."  
  
"But -but why? All I did was take a few shots with my video cam-"  
  
"And that's more than enough to sign your death warrant. You're a smart kid Aida... tell me, if you were NERV would you want images of that," Kaji said, waving towards EVA 01, "to have any chance of becoming public knowledge?"  
Kensuke paled as he looked at Unit 01 once more. "I can't believe that - that Shinji's in that thing..."  
  
"Right now we should worry more about you than Shinji."  
  
Kensuke gulped once more and turned towards Kaji with a pleading look in his eyes.   
"I _ just wanted to see Shinji fight, to see the EVA and the Angel...I didn't think-"  
  
"Exactly right, you didn't think," Kaji interrupted. "Otherwise you would have known how dangerous this would be. Searching out the truth is a dangerous game Kensuke, and one best left to professionals. But with that curiosity of yours - and that video - you've just become a player, whether you like it or not. Curiosity can kill grown cats - its even more dangerous for kittens."  
  
The boy began to shake a little as Kaji's words sunk in. The spy shook his head, Kensuke had sentenced himself to a life in hiding, and had blown Kaji's cover, because the boy had too little common sense and too much curiosity. As he looked at the miserable boy however his expression softened. Who was he to judge really? Kaji himself had done more foolish things in the name of 'truth'. The boy at least had not dirtied his hands as Kaji had, had not yet followed truth into the dark and stinking alleys where it most often hid - only to emerge tainted by the darkness... With a mental shake the spy shook such morbid thoughts aside. His sins would come back to haunt him someday - but until then he had best deal with the here and now.  
  
Kaji took a closer look at Kensuke, at the earnestness and fear, innocence and desire etched on his face - and it was then that Kaji made his decision. Even if his own days were numbered, even if he had done many acts which he was not proud of, this child, at least, could be saved - that, if nothing else, was within his power. Besides... that video had the potential of being very useful...  
  
The older man knelt before the shaking boy and looked him in the eye, one hand brushing aside an errant lock of hair.  
  
"Don't worry Kensuke, I'll see what I can do for you. For now let's just get out of here while everyone else is focused on Shinji."  
  
The boy nodded. "Uhm... ok Mr. Kaji... but uhm, one last thing?"  
  
Kaji gave the boy his most dazzling smile. "What is it Kensuke?"  
  
"Just remember - I'm a boy ok?"  
  
Kaji grimaced. He hated it when that happened...  
  
* * * * *  
  
= The Past: 30 days previously =  
  
Rei Ayanami stared up at the bandaged form of Unit 01 as the NERV workmen nervously began attaching all manner of restraints around 'her' body. Earlier she had overheard the staff saying that the Eva was totally inert, registering no energy emissions of any kind from within. Even the S^2 engine which she had incorporated into herself was silent. The Eva seemed to be totally inoperative... and yet somewhere within herself, bereft of physical form was Ikari Shinji. This fact alone was the cause of a new experience for Rei Ayanami: she found herself strangely restless. While normally content to be alone with her thoughts, she found those thought to eventually and unerringly return to the predicament of Unit 01 and its pilot. She found it more difficult than usual to concentrate - and although those around her did not notice anything as amiss, Rei knew that this was not her normal self. It had taken Rei awhile to put a name to her current state, but the fact that she had felt it once before made it easier to pin down.  
  
Rei Ayanami was worried.  
  
For most of her life she had been ignorant of such a state of being. She had no concerns about her own welfare... her absence could quickly be filled by another. And until recently she had not allowed herself to interact with people enough for her to develop anymore than a superficial bond with them. Ikari-kun however had been different. When she had first seen him, without any words or actions as yet between them, she had already felt the bond. Almost as if it had been there even before they had met...   
  
Since then that bond had enabled him to place her in states of mind she had never before experienced. Rei did not know if this was a favorable or unfavorable development - but she did know that she did not wish to be deprived of that bond before she knew its cause and its extent. And Ikari... she did not wish to be deprived of him either.  
  
Rei Ayanami looked up at the being that, not long ago, had been her only link with the world, and for the first time... she saw an enemy.  
  
* * * * *   
  
"Well, this should be it."  
  
Kaji turned a critical eye from the strip of paper in his hand to the rather decrepit looking corridor of the 'Burgundy Place' apartment building, and then finally to the bronze placard bearing the number '106' on the wooden door before him. He knew that the occupant of that room had a reason for choosing such surroundings, but he still found it a bit unnerving that the sister to one of the most powerful men in Japan had to live in this state.  
  
Kaji grinned then. Knowing her, the inside would more than make up for the outside. He turned to a nervous Kensuke standing beside him before knocking loudly on the door.  
  
It took awhile for the door to open, and Kaji knew he had been subjected to all sorts of surveillance devices before she decided to open the door. Thus he was hardly surprised when the occupant was already hissing his name even before she opened the door.   
  
"Ryouji, what are you DOING here? How did you find - "  
  
"We need to talk Ume," the spy said, calmly stepping into the room as he gestured for the boy to follow.  
  
Ume was still ranting. "There's a reason we have pre-arranged drop points to schedule our meetings... if you were followed - and who's this? Why did you bring a child here?"  
  
Kensuke bobbed his head and introduced himself while Kaji closed the door behind him.   
  
"In the order of your concerns: No, I'm a pro, I made sure we weren't followed, Kensuke already answered the second and as to the third - have you swept this place for bugs lately?"  
  
The woman merely scowled at him. She had a plump, wrinkled face, thick, curly brown hair and smiling eyes with plenty of laugh lines that gave her an overall look of a doting grandmother instead of a psychiatrist/philosopher and part time spy. The last time Kaji had seen Dr. Umeko Takahashi, she had been feeding kittens near a deserted warehouse in the Kyoto district, while giving him the inside story on the Marduke Institute. Right now the look on her face told him that she'd rather be disemboweling kittens rather than feeding them.  
  
"Ryouji - if you have managed to compromise this operation for anything less than an event of monumental importance I'll..."  
  
"Now now," Kaji interrupted, a smile on his face. "Not in front of the child. Kensuke why don't you put the disk into one of the players in the next room and we'll be along shortly."  
  
Kensuke took one look at Ume, gulped, then complied. Almost as soon as he had stepped into the next room Kaji heard his exclamation of surprised joy.  
  
"Wow! Look at all this neat stuff! Recording equipment, maxed out sensor P-comp, digital tracking, mini-cams - Aw man! I'm in heaven!"  
  
"Hope we didn't disturb you in the middle of anything important Dr. Takahashi," Kaji remarked innocently as he motioned for Ume to lead the way.  
  
The doctor just sighed. "What are you up to Kaji?" she asked as they proceeded from the foyer into the main living room.   
  
As Kaji had expected, while the outside had by necessity been left in chaos, once past the foyer, the apartment was immaculately clean, everything in order and neatly arranged. And there was a lot to be arranged - recording, hacking, data storage equipment was all over the room, as well as a huge - if orderly - stack of printed files. There were half a dozen viewing monitors as well, probably blanked the moment he had knocked on the door, as well as some more esoteric appearing devices. Kensuke was apparently trying to take apart one of them when the two adults entered, the doctor clearing her throat noisily.  
  
Kaji just smiled as Kensuke jerked and dropped the machine like a hot potato. The boy grinned apologetically and ran his fingers through his hair. "Uhm sorry ma'am! It's just that I've never seen a Mitch-Intel 9.2 Focused Wave Sensor before!   
  
Ume blinked once and turned a shade paler at the boys words and she leaned towards Kaji. "Ryouji... would you mind explaining to me how this teen-aged civilian recognized and named one of our most top-secret military prototypes?"   
  
The unshaven man just grinned at her innocently. "I _told_ you he reminded me of myself... Okay, Kensuke. Let's show the nice doctor lady your masterpiece..."  
  
Kensuke dutifully plopped the disc into the player. The screen was blank for a moment more, then an image of the latest angel appeared on the screen. At Kaji's instruction the boy skipped most of the initial footage, only resuming normal speed after Unit 01 lost power. Still a good amount of footage remained. It took twenty minutes before the entire film was viewed.  
  
It was another fifteen before anybody spoke.  
  
"My God... does NERV know that we have...?"  
  
"I'm not certain. I killed two of their agents who were about to kill him but I'm not sure if they reported anything to HQ. Regardless if I was compromised before, now I probably fall under the realm of 'security risk - shoot on sight.' It might be best if I take the boy and lie low for awhile. "  
  
As Umeko pondered this however, a slow smile began to spread across her face.  
  
"Maybe not Mr. Ryouji... with this in our hands, along with the rest of the evidence we have managed to dig up, the government just might have enough to throw a wrench into the plans of the old men..."  
  
Kaji caught her eyes and grinned. "Tired of working in the shadows Dr. Takahashi?"  
This time the woman matched his smile. "Let's just say I think I'm in need of a tan..."  
  
* * * * *   
  
= The Past: 19 days previously =   
  
"How could this have been concealed from us for so long? We demand an answer!"  
  
The voice of the French Ambassador was merely the loudest amongst the hundred or so voices raised in indignant anger after viewing the video of Unit 01's 'awakening'. Even before it was completely back in its case, the shouting had already begun. Many of the ambassadors to the UN were not there to decide on a unified international policy so much as to ferret out secrets on an international scale. And none of them was very enamored of being surprised.  
  
"That - that thing is a monster!"  
  
"This is ludicrous! Who else knew this?"  
  
The outrage was not solely directed towards the Evangelions however. Each member of the assembly also had a copies of the documents enclosed with the original videodisc, among them the psychological profiles of the Children.  
  
"Did you see these profiles?"  
  
"My God... the survival of our race lies at the mercy of these..."  
  
"...psychotic..."  
  
"...unstable..."  
  
"...children?!? This is unacceptable!"  
  
"This was your plan all along!"  
  
"Ours!?! It's you Germans who - "  
  
"We demand that these - these Evangelions, and their pilots, be put out of commission immediately!"  
  
The Secretary - General raised his hand, and with some help from the members of security, a semblance of order was restored to the room.   
  
"Please, before we jump to any conclusions, I believe it would be wise to hear from the representative of the nation most directly concerned with these incidents - the ambassador from Japan Mr. Akira Okazawa."  
  
There were numerous shouted accusations and epithets hurled as a diminutive balding man stood up and approached the podium. However, Akira Okazawa's first words once he had taken his place at the podium caused a grudging silence to come over the assembly. His voice did not posses the smooth, polished cadence of a practiced diplomat, but instead the tired voice of a man in anguish.   
  
"Does anyone here believe I relish the thought that these monsters are housed in the heart of my country? That it is the Japanese governments wish that because of these battles, thousands have been killed and not one but two more of those abominable N^2 bombs have been deployed? Would you wish these upon your own country?"  
  
A grudging silence descended upon the room at his words. Okazawa was a distinguished member of the assembly, and it was his reputation as much as his words that subdued the ambassadors enough to listen to him.  
  
"My nation has long been wary of housing NERV and the Evangelions on our soil. It may be recalled that we did not threaten this body in anyway if a NERV branch was not built on our territory... unlike some others," he paused for a moment as a few of the less discrete members of the assembly directed scowls at the U.S. ambassador. "We have been constantly trying to find alternatives to the Evangelion units - due to our lack of funds this search has been conducted through supporting private organizations with both the means and knowledge to propose possible solutions. Companies such as GERMPLUS and Nippon Heavy Industry Solidarity. However as you may remember, Nippon's Jet Alone model suffered a- "  
  
"We know all this Okazawa," a voice broke in. It was the U.S. ambassador, who was now standing and pointing an accusatory finger at Okazawa. "Your government has long used the Jet Alone fracas as an excuse in your lack of enthusiasm when it comes to aiding other efforts to replace the Evangelions. However I have in my hand," the man paused for dramatic effect, waving a data disk in his fingers. "Proof that your government has been secretly working on a mechanoid weapon of your own. Or do the words 'Project: Keeper' mean nothing to you?"  
  
Okazawa blanched at the name. Before he could react further however, the U.S. ambassador had already jammed the disc into his local computer and with the push of a button, the contents were displayed on the large monitor behind the podium. On the left side was a column of streaming data, detailing statistics, production cost, technical specifications of some sort. On the right side was a rotating 3D-frame model of what appeared to be a humanoid robot. It appeared similar in build to an EVA, though the data showed it to be slightly smaller, with the notable exception of an additional four arms crossed at the front of its torso. The filename blinked at the bottom of the screen:  
Project Completion Report: N^2 Powered Keeper Close Combat Mechanoid  
  
The U.S. ambassador grinned. "It is hereby recommended by the United States that this so-called Keeper Mecha be immediately commissioned to replace the NERV Evangelion Units as the first line of defense against the angels.  
  
At once another round of chaotic protests and accusations burst forth, with some nations agreeing with the U.S., while others, led by Japan cried for caution.  
  
"The Keeper mecha has not yet been fully tested," Okazawa insisted. "It's internal N^2 Engine must be subjected to more rigorous tests before it passes safety regulations. Besides the Evangelions have proven capable at their job."  
  
"Anything would be safer than those Evangelions," the U.S. ambassador insisted. "If you were truly concerned for your nation - and mankind - you would be delighted to deploy your little robot!"  
  
"Silence!" The chaos ceased for a moment as the assembly turned to the Secretary - General, who was currently standing at the top of his desk and screaming at the top of his lungs.  
  
"This behavior humiliates this august body! We are now in recess until you have all learned to respect your place and your office - you two," he growled, pointing towards the U.S. and Japanese advisors. "I will see you in my office where we will resolve this - civilly."  
  
Two hours later the three men faced a subdued assembly and announced their compromise.  
  
"It has been agreed," the Secretary - General began. "That Evangelion Unit 01 will be decommissioned for the time being, and replaced with the Keeper mecha. The remaining two Evangelion units will remain on active duty."  
  
"And what about the pilots?" the Swedish ambassador asked. "These psychological profiles remain a matter of grave concern..."  
  
The Secretary - General waved the issue away. "I have talked to Mr. Okazawa and he has agreed to have one of the more renowned Psychologists in Japan transferred to NERV to oversee the psychological development of the children. This matter is now closed for discussion until the next session... we have many more issues to discuss..."  
As the dialogue moved towards more mundane topics, Akira Okazawa sighed with relief. Releasing the video of Unit 01 at the same time they leaked information on the Keeper mecha to the U.S. had borne the fruit that the Japanese government desired. They would finally have the means to balance out NERV's excesses.  
  
As he settled back into his seat the aged ambassador thought ruefully, ~I've paid my debts Ume-san. The rest is up to you...~  
  
* * * * *  
  
= The Past: 18 days previously =   
  
Somewhere dark and secluded, a monolith was angered.  
  
"This... is unacceptable."  
  
"Indeed," a second monolith intoned. "In addition to the Unit 01 debacle, and the damage to the two remaining Evangelions, you have managed to allow footage of the incident to leak to the United Nations."  
  
"And now an outside factor is being forced into the equations."  
  
"One we cannot easily remove because it was sanctioned by the entire assembly."  
  
"Your incompetence has cost us dearly Ikari..." said a sixth. "How do you plead before the committee?"  
  
Gendo Ikari remained at ease, his fingers twined before the bridge of his nose.  
  
"No need for concern," he began. "This will not interfere with our plans. In the worst case, the robot can still be used as an extra target."  
  
"Ikari - you do know that one of the reasons for the Keeper's existence is to give mankind a weapon that can stand against an Eva?"  
  
"It would hardly pose a threat," Ikari answered calmly. "It cannot even project an AT field."  
  
"You would be wise to be cautious Ikari - there are forces operating here not foreseen in our scenario."  
  
The first monolith interrupted again at this point. "Quite so. The more immediate threat would come from the influx of new, non-NERV personnel into the headquarters."  
  
"Indeed. How do you plan to keep our secrets Ikari?"  
  
The man smirked. "A child psychologist and a skeleton crew ... hardly a force to threaten your plans."  
  
The monoliths were silent for a moment before the first spoke once again.  
  
"Be sure that your actions match the confidence of your tone Gendo Ikari."  
  
With that the monoliths winked out and the Supreme Commander of NERV was plunged into darkness.  
  
* * * * *  
~15, 16, 17... well that makes 17 JSSDF cruisers and 3 Super Carriers today...~  
  
Kensuke Aida leaned on the railing and sighed. He'd never have thought the day would come when he got tired of watching the most advanced battleships ever created slip in and out of a dock... then again, he'd never thought he would ever be kidnapped and taken to a secret facility at the edge of the world either. After handing his video over to Dr. Takahashi, he and Kaji had taken an 18 hour trip in a military plane to this island complex at - wee, the boy was never told exactly where. Kensuke had spent the last week in the complex, alternately gaping at the awesome military hardware and worrying about his situation. The past few days, it had been almost exclusively the latter... it was hard to concentrate on the wonders of modern military technology when one remembered that those self-same gadgets were being used right now to hunt _you_.  
  
"Why the glum face?"  
  
Kensuke looked up to see Kaji smiling down at him. The boy pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose then sighed noisily.   
  
"Oh... it's just you Kaji..."  
  
"Now there's a way to greet a friend and guardian... I came by to check how you were doing. You seem pretty down for the man who's first film brought the house down - at the U.N. no less," Kaji said with a lopsided grin on his face.  
  
"What good does that do me?" Kensuke whined. "I haven't seen my friends, my family - heck the outside world for the last two weeks, some of the most well trained, professional killers in the world are after my head and to top it off I have absolutely no idea what's going on here! No one will even tell me what you showed the tape to the U.N. for..."  
  
Kaji blinked at the boys' tirade, then scratched his chin thoughtfully.  
  
"Well then, that's a tale that might take awhile - but there is one thing I can show you. I was going to wait a while before I told you ... but it wouldn't hurt to give you a little peak now and it would do wonders for your mood..."  
  
The spy seemed lost in thought for a moment more but then seemed to come to a decision. He gripped the boys arm and pulled him along.  
  
"Wha - where are you taking me?"  
  
"I have a surprise for you - just come along, Kensuke, I know you won't be able to resist anyway."  
  
Curiosity piqued, Kensuke followed obediently behind the older man as they entered an elevator and began to steadily descend into the complex. The place where Kaji had brought him was huge, and full of military and non-military equipment that was like nothing Kensuke had ever seen. The complex alone had been enough to distract him during the first few days... but not even his obsession with military tech could make up for his fear and loneliness.  
  
Still, this 'surprise' thing had him curious. "So what is this surprise Kaji? Unless it's some sort of mega-bulletproof second skin, I doubt it'd help me any."  
The older man just grinned mysteriously.  
  
"Tell me Kensuke," Kaji asked. "Did I hear Shinji right when he told me that you were dying to pilot an Eva? You actually begged Katsuragi to pilot from what I hear..."  
  
The mention of Shinji and the Eva brought a frown to the boys' face. "Well... I used to, but not anymore. Who'd want to get in that monster?"  
  
Kaji nodded. "Understandable... but what if it wasn't a monster? What if it were just like any other piece of military technology... would you change your mind then?"  
  
Kensuke nodded enthusiastically. "Mr.Kaji, I'd give my left arm to be able to pilot something like an Eva, but what does it -"  
  
* ding *  
  
The boy was interrupted by the elevator halting its descent. Kensuke blinked. He'd lost track of time... just how far below ground were they?  
  
All calculations of depth and speed however, were lost the minute the elevator doors opened. Immediately, Kensuke found his gaze resting on a metallic foot. As his jaw gaped in amazement, his eyes followed the form up and up, beyond metallic legs and six metallic arms, finally resting on a head that reminded him of nothing else but a medieval war hammer.  
  
"Keep the arm Kensuke. As you can see you'll more than need it to pilot that little beauty..."  
  
Before Kaji could say anything else, Kensuke was out of the elevator, practically levitating in his haste to examine the robot more closely. As it was he didn't even hear it when Umeko Takahashi came up behind Kaji with a motherly smile on her face.  
  
  
"I almost hate to tell him that he won't be the Keepers sole pilot. He might think that like the Evangelions, it requires only one."  
  
The spy let out a smooth chuckle. "Let him have his moment Ume. It's rare you see a dream come true."  
  
"I thought you might like to know that his two other co-pilots have arrived..."  
Kaji nodded. "I see. How are Nyoko and Cho?"  
  
"Nyoko is fine, though there's yet been no progress in improving her condition. As for   
Cho... he's excited to see you of course. It's been eight years after all... it's almost eerie how much he reminds me of you."  
  
Kaji laughed. "Stands to reason... besides what better role model eh?" he finished as he walked back into the elevator.  
  
Dr. Takahashi shook her head as she watched him go.  
  
"God help us all if we have to handle two of you..."  
  
=The Past: Two days previously=  
  
"It's not working!" Maya screamed, "The plug is being ejected!"  
  
With a sick flushing noise, the entry plug of Unit 01 opened, discharging its contents of LCL fluid into the cage, taking whatever remained of its pilot along with it. Misato felt her chest constrict as she saw Shinji's empty plug suit carried out of the Eva and dragged to the floor by the rushing fluid.  
  
"Shinji-kun!"  
  
Before she knew what she was doing she was rushing out of the observation deck. A part of her mind knew that it could not have been more than 3 minutes before she was kneeling in the LCL, arms convulsively wrapped around Shinji's plug suit, but to Misato it seemed like an eternity. Pain ripped into her as she rocked back and forth, cradling all that remained of her Shinji.  
  
"What use is your goddamn science," she whimpered brokenly between sobs. "It can't even save one small life..."  
  
He was gone. Just like that. She'd never see him again. He'd never get that chance for happiness that he deserved. She'd never be able to make it up to him - make up for the fact that she had brought him into this mess.  
  
"Give me back my Shinji!" Misato screamed. At the Eva... at Ritsuko... at God... "Give him back!!!"  
  
In the midst of her grief she almost didn't hear the slurping, sucking sound from a few meters before her. As she turned to look up however, she saw Shinji's naked body lying face down just within reach. It had not been there before, it was impossible that it be there now... but none of that mattered.  
  
"Shinji?"  
  
He was back.  
  
"Shinji!!!"  
  
=The Present=  
  
~Where is this? Nothing exists here.~ Kaoru Nagisa thought to himself.   
  
~But I exist. I am not nothing~  
  
~THAT IS SO~  
  
A new voice. The voice he had heard. The voice that had called his true name.  
  
~Is there nothing else?~  
  
~YOU HAVE NO NEED FOR ANYTHING ELSE. YOU EXIST. THAT IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU~  
  
~Unlike the lilim?~  
  
~UNLIKE THE LILIM. THERE IS NO NEED FOR 'SENSE'. NO NEED FOR 'WORLD'. THAT IS WHY THERE IS NOTHING~  
  
~There is no need~  
  
Kaoru sensed approval.  
  
~YES~  
  
Kaoru paused and pondered these thoughts for a moment.  
  
~You exist. Do I need you?~  
  
~YOU ARE MISTAKEN. I AM NOTHING~  
  
~That is ...a strange statement.~  
  
Slowly the void around Kaoru began to stir. Shapes returned, as well as sound, sensations on the skin, scents of the air.   
  
Kaoru found himself in a large, dark room. It was similar to the Commanders office of the 3rd SEELE branch. Above and below him was etched the Tree of Sephiroth, glowing with a faint inner light. Before him was the Commanders desk, and on top of it was a placard with a name. 'Carl Senaca' it said. 'Commander NERV 2nd Branch.'  
A man stood behind the Commanders desk, his back turned to Kaoru. Moments later he slowly turned, revealing an unshaven face framed by dark, almost purplish hair. The face however had a complete lack of expression that no lilim could ever affect, and there seemed to be nothing behind the man's dark eyes. On his forehead was a vivid red circle, flanked by two horn-like slashes. He wore a ripped coat more suitable to a winter climate, with stains that looked like blood, long dried.  
  
"I am here," Kaoru said softly.  
  
The man replied with both human voice and mind thought:  
  
"Welcome Tabris."  
  
"You do not seem to be nothing..."  
  
The mans face did not move, but Kaoru received a sense from him. Amusement. A smile. Kaoru smiled in return.  
  
"The present is not the past, nor the future," the man replied. "For now, I am who I am. "  
  
Kaoru bowed. "You are the Second."  
  
The man - no, the Angel - nodded.  
  
"You may call me Cain."  
  
  
Authors Notes: Well Shinji's back so expect him to actually have speaking lines next chapter :) And yes, definitely his red-headed room mate as well. Apologies if anyone was bored with the segment in the UN... 'twas necessary to show how Kensuke's video and sneaky manuevers resulted in the new element being introduced into NERV.   
  
  



	2. Coming Home to New Faces

Evangelion: The Mark of Cain  
Chapter 1: Coming Home to New Faces  
Disclaimer: Gainax owns everything originally Eva, I won everything else.   
For an HTMLized version, plus fan art, and other Eva and Mark of Cain goodies, come visit my site: http://www.members.tripod.com/aletheia3/  
  
"Father..."  
  
The figure before him continued on, oblivious to the desperate whisper of the child he was leaving behind. The boy had memorized every ripple muscle of that retreating back, every line and contour, every fall of shadow. The way the man walked, with one hand in his pocket, at an unhurried pace - all seemed to indicate that he had done nothing more than leave a package - or his garbage - at the house which he had just left, instead of a tearful, needy boy. The boy was aware of other figures at the periphery of his vision, other people, but all he could focus on was the shrinking figure before him... the one that was leaving him behind.  
  
"Father!"  
  
Surprisingly, at the shout the man turned. He lowered his dark glasses and for a moment stared disinterestedly at his son. Then, the man spoke, in a surprisingly high-pitched and irritated voice...  
  
"Baka Shinji!"  
  
Wait... that didn't seem right...  
  
"Get UP baka-brain! You've already missed a month of school - there's no way you're being late today!"  
  
Shinji groaned as his dream melted into a view of Asuka standing over him, a foot planted upon his chest. He was in the midst of trying to dislodge the said foot when the red head raised it up in what appeared to be an attempt to stomp on his chest. Of course this had the unfortunate side effect of leaving a certain pair of garments in plain view of Shinji's sandy eyes - which immediately snapped into full wakefulness as he realized what he was staring at ...and that Asuka had noticed as well.  
  
For a moment they just stared at one another. Shinji's life began to pass before his eyes.  
Then, with a growl that spoke of massive resentment, Asuka brought her foot crashing down on his head.  
  
"Ye-ow! That hurt dammit!"  
  
"It was MEANT to hurt you pathetic - urgh!!! Why do I even BOTHER?!?" with a scream that revealed a huge amount of restraint she turned and marched out of the room, loudly proclaiming that she was leaving if anyone cared. Shinji waited to hear the door slam shut behind her before he sat up and gingerly massaged his aching head.  
If the boy had harbored any notion that Asuka had missed him during his time 'absorbed' in Unit 01, the first few days of his return had disabused him of that notion. Rather painfully in fact, he thought as his head began to throb. It would probably swell into a nasty bump later on, adding to the list of assorted injuries he had received from Asuka since he got back.  
  
He didn't quite know why but she had changed... he had thought they had achieved a level of friendship, or at least tolerance, in the past due to their struggles with the Angels. Sure she was stuck-up, loud and spiteful most times, but Shinji had always thought that there had been at least a little bit of fondness and familiarity hidden beneath all those layers of 'Baka Shinji!'. Nowadays, even that seemed gone... whenever she looked at him, or deigned to speak with him, Shinji could always see a smoldering anger behind her eyes. Almost... almost hatred, as if he had done her some grievous wrong. And that frightened Shinji. If he didn't even know what he had done, how was he to keep from doing it again?  
  
Shinji sighed and stood up. Kaji's words entered his mind again, not for the first time in the past few days. There will always be a deep divide separating men and women... women will always be on a far shore. There was more truth to that statement than Shinji liked.  
  
Shinji stepped out of his room at the same time Misato emerged from hers. Surprisingly she was already dressed in her NERV uniform. She still looked slightly sleepy but the Major quickly rectified the situation by popping open a can of Yebisu and chugging away.  
  
"YYYYYEEEEEAAAAHHHH! That hit the SPOT!" his guardian enthused, throwing the empty can towards a corner of the room. It seemed to Shinji somehow wrong to see her doing that while dressed in her uniform. Beside her, Pen-Pen stared up at his owner for a moment before sneaking up behind her and nabbing one of the balls of meat on her plate. The penguin hadn't noticed however that it was Misato who had cooked that particular dish and as the morsel entered his mouth, Pen-Pen promptly gave a strangled wark and fell to the floor.  
  
"G'morning Shin-kun," Misato called as the boy wordlessly retrieved the beer can and the penguin and placed them in the waste basket and the large fridge, respectively. "Excited to be going back to school after your long break?"  
  
Shinji shook his head. To him the incident with the 14th Angel seemed to have happened mere days ago, not the full month that had actually passed. He probably had a huge pile of homework to make up, he thought, hardly an appealing prospect. Besides, it had just occurred to him the night before that in the month he had spent in the Eva, Touji might have healed enough to start going to school again. That prospect alone was enough to drag his mood into the gutter.  
  
Seeing that Misato was still awaiting an answer he mumbled something incoherent then swiftly changed the topic.  
  
"Oh... hey Misato, why are you dressed up so early?"  
  
Misato gave him a quizzical look before answering. "Don't tell me you've forgotten... the JSSDF special task force and their new robot are arriving today. I've got to meet them - and then spend hours in meetings trying to rehash the command structure so we won't be stepping on each others toes while they stay at NERV. Whoever thought up the idea of having an autonomous body within NERV with 'discretionary authority' over the Eva's was obviously two forks short of a kitchen that's for sure..."  
  
As Misato ranted, the memories surfaced in Shinji's mind. Last night, Misato had filled him in on the 'watchdog' body that the UN had assigned to NERV after viewing a recording of his last battle with an Angel. For once, Asuka had chimed in as well, making her displeasure known over the fact that anyone thought she had psychological difficulties, or that any hunk of junk was going to replace 'her Eva'.   
  
"Their... robot... will it have any pilot Misato?"  
  
The woman nodded. "Three in fact from what I heard, although I don't know anything about them yet. With three pilots, a psychologist, tech and support staff, there's gonna be a lot of new faces at NERV in a few hours." Misato paused and sniffed disdainfully. "There's even word that they have their own tactical operations head... they're going to be surprised if they think they can foist some newbie into sharing MY job."  
  
Shinji was about to reply when a glance at the wall clock made plain just how LATE he was already and he scooped up his things as he ran for the door.  
  
"Oh no! I forgot how late it was, I'll see you later Misato!"  
  
"Don't forget to come by headquarters after school so you can meet the new --!" Misato called out before the slamming door eclipsed her words.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Shinji dashed into the classroom a full 15 minutes late, but luckily their old sensei was writing something on the blackboard so Shinji could enter without being chewed out in front of the class. Hikari gave him a scolding look at first, but this quickly melted into a smile of relief as she saw who it was. Quickly taking his seat he turned to see Asuka studiously making an effort to avoid even the impression of looking at him. As his eyes reached a far corner he caught a glimpse of Rei Ayanami, the girl seeming as unconcerned as usual. Before he looked away however, Rei turned and saw him sitting at his place. Her red eyes blinked for a moment before - much to Shinji's shock - her lips turned up in what appeared to be a small smile before she looked away again. Before he could wonder what that had been about, a heavy hand slammed into his back and almost pushed him off his seat.  
  
"Ikari! Yer back!"  
  
Shinji regained his composure and turned to see a grinning Touji standing over him. A Touji who for the life of him seemed not to have a care in the world.   
  
A Touji with two arms and two legs intact.  
  
"Wha - " Shinji started, but then paused to take a gulp of air. "T-Touji - Wha-How--?"  
  
The other boy grinned, then flexed his muscles. "Cool huh? Yer outfit fixed me up with some artificials after the thing with that Angel. I just came back myself a few days ago... Feel almost as good as new - and now if I need to whup some ass I can just detach my arm and use it to club people around!" he ended with a grin.  
  
From the other end of the classroom Hikari hissed at them "Pipe down Tou-ji! We're still in class you know!"  
  
Touji gave a small 'eep!' then plopped back down into his seat. He gave Shinji an abashed grin and shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? I love the way she says 'Tou-ji'."  
  
Shinji just stared at his friend, not quite believing that he could be acting so normally in the face of one who had done him such harm. Shinji found he couldn't bear to look at his friends smiling face - the guilt was just too enormous.   
  
"Touji I..." he began, but he had hardly opened his mouth when his friend cut him off.  
  
"Stow it Shinji - I know what you're going to say and I'm telling ya it ain't your fault."  
  
"But -"   
  
"The stupid robot I was in got itself possessed - if it hadn't been stopped who knows how many would've got hurt?"  
  
"But Touji, -"   
  
"Ikari it wasn't your fault! Your dad put the Eva on some sort of auto-pilot! You didn't have any more control than I did!"  
  
Shinji shook his head vehemently. "It's not the same Touji, I could've, I should've... ack!"  
  
His words ended in a startled squack as he found himself being pulled towards Touji, who was once again standing before him and who currently had Shinji's collar in an iron grip.  
  
"You tellin' me you're better than me Ikari? Izzat it?"  
  
"N-no I..." He found it hard to speak what with Touji shaking him so hard.  
  
"Do you think you coulda done better than me if you'd been in Unit 03?"  
  
"That's not what I- "  
  
"Do you think it was my fault that I hurt Asuka and Ayanami?"  
  
"N-No! It wasn't your fault! You weren't controlling it!"  
  
Shinji let out a breath as Touji released him and finally returned to his seat. His friend wore a self satisfied grin on his face.  
  
"Then that settles it. You weren't in control either. Neither of us were at fault 'k? So quit yer whining!"  
  
"I'll have YOU whining in a minute if you don't pipe down Tou-ji!" Hikari hissed once more from her seat.  
  
Touji gulped and made soothing motions with his hands as Shinji looked on. With Hikari seemingly placated Touji turned back to his friend with a grin and slapped him on the back once more, this time more gently.  
  
"Welcome back Shinji..."  
  
Shinji found himself smiling. He still felt a burden of guilt but the fact that Touji didn't blame him was a load off his shoulders. He looked around at his classmates - though there were fewer and fewer of them as the Angels attacks dragged on - and he realized he WAS glad to be back. However as he looked around he did notice that something was missing - or rather, someONE...  
  
"Hey Touji... uhm, where's Kensuke?"  
  
Touji sobered at the mention of their other friend. "He's been gone for as long as you have... his father really freaked out when they found out Kensuke had snuck out of the shelter again during the last Angel, but I talked to him recently and he seemed ok. Still worried, but it looks like he knows where Kensuke is now - not that he'd tell me anything aside from that Kensuke was coming back soon if all went well..."  
Shinji frowned. Kensuke had been got for a month as well? He felt a feeling of dread build up within him.  
  
"You don't think... that he went out to watch the Eva... and got..."  
  
Touji shook his head. "I told you, his father ain't as worried no more. He'll turn up," Touji grinned. "He probably went up north to check out some new battleship or something - the dork."  
  
Shinji calmed a bit at Touji's words, but he was still worried. He'd feel much better when Kensuke came back - it just didn't feel the same without him. Shinji grinned. After all, they couldn't very well be the 'Three Stooges' if it was only him and Touji...  
  
As he thought of that name and where it had come from, Shinji found himself looking sadly at Asuka. She had obviously been within hearing distance of their conversation - especially if Hikari could hear it across the room - but she had made no attempt to join in, or make any snide comments whatsoever. Not that he missed the abuse, it was just that... something seemed wrong and he didn't know what it was.  
  
~Well at least she spoke to me today... even if she did also kick me in the head...~  
The boy sighed and gazed out the window, wondering why life had to be so complicated...  
  
* * * * *   
  
In the skies above Tokyo - 3, Kaji Ryouji found himself likewise gazing out of a window, but this one was located on the side of a private jet. Behind him, he heard the raucous noises of the 3 Keeper co-pilots, probably having another one of their 'well MY grandfather could do THIS' contests. He was glad Kensuke got along so well with the other two, despite the boy being around 5 years younger. Since the Keeper mecha required three pilots working together to achieve maximum effectiveness, it was important that they see each other as friends, or as peers at the very least. He had a fleeting thought of the three Eva pilots trying to pilot the Keeper - and found himself shuddering at the thought. It had taken an immense amount of effort to actually get Shinji and Asuka to work as a team for ONE mission, he'd hate to have to deal with that on a regular basis, much less with Rei thrown into the mix.   
  
Then again considering Kensuke's two other co-pilots, the boy could have been Gendo Ikari's evil twin and they STILL would have gotten along fine.  
  
The sounds from behind him increased suddenly, then subsided to a dull roar as Umeko Takahashi closed the door behind her and took a seat beside Kaji. Normally very prim and well-groomed in appearance, the doctor looked a bit more dishelved than usual. Kaji grinned as she took a deep breath followed by a long gulp from the can of orange juice she was holding.  
  
"Rather a handful aren't they?" he said.  
  
Ume nodded wordlessly. "If I didn't know any better I'd say that ALL of them had your genes..."  
  
Kaji laughed. "One of these days I'll take you to meet my family and you'll get a taste of the real thing...did I mention I have 2 more brothers and 3 sisters?"  
  
Ume blanched. "Er, that won't be necessary Kaji... really..."  
  
The two sat in companionable silence for a while before Ume spoke again.  
  
"So... looking forward to seeing her again?"  
  
Kaji smiled. "Well, yes I am actually... though when you've survived eight years of separation, one month hardly seems like a trial."  
  
"And yet each day seems like a century am I right?"  
  
The spies eyes widened and he turned so suddenly to his companion that she almost jumped out of her chair. "Why Dr. Umeko Takahashi! I didn't know you were such a romantic!" He sidled up to her smoothly with a playful leer on his face. "If I had known you harbored such notions I could have made this trip seem shorter for the both of us..."  
Ume chuckled and pushed him away. "Getting in your last licks before Katsuragi chains you down again eh? I wonder how she'll react to this," she said, tapping on the bars at Kaji's collar that indicated his newly acquired rank. "Eh, MAJOR Ryouji Kaji?"  
  
The new major grinned. " I really don't know why you went through all the trouble to get me the same kind of jacket as hers... As to how I'll break it to her, don't worry I have a speech prepared..." He paused as his grin widened. "At least she won't be able to pull rank on me anymore."  
  
The doctor returned the grin. "And since when has that woman had to pull rank to get _you_ to do what she wanted?"  
  
"Ah but Doctor... the persuasion is half the fun!"  
  
* * * * *   
  
At that moment, the aforementioned Major Katsuragi was impatiently looking at her watch, which currently showed that the JSSDF force was approximately thirty-three minutes and fifteen seconds late. Behind her was Makoto Hyuuga and a complement of NERV staff and crew, as well as the large, modified transport they used when they had to move the Evangelions by land. It had been refitted to meet the specifications of the new Keeper robot - like a lot of other things at NERV headquarters. For all the effort such modifications entailed, the least that the 'Keepers' could do was to be on time for their rendezvous.   
  
Thirty-six minutes and eight seconds late... this entire thing was beginning to remind her of her dates with Kaji...  
  
The thought of the unshaven spy gave Misato pause. It had been a month since she had last seen him... he had left a cryptic message on her answering machine about having to 'make sure a curious kitten didn't get itself killed' and had promised to let her know when he got back. The message had seemed rush and almost intentionally vague, as if he feared that someone listening in would be able to glean dangerous information if he had allowed himself to talk freely. As the days went by, she almost worried that he had done something stupid and gotten himself killed by NERV security - but then, she was sure that they would have taken some sort of precautions in regards to Misato herself before they went after Kaji - their relationship wasn't exactly a secret. Still... she had really wanted him to be there when she was struggling to deal with Shinji's absorption into Unit 01 during that terrible month...  
  
Misato was shaken from her introspection when Hyuuga called her name and pointed to the sky. Misato squinted and could just make out the three winged forms descending from the sky, two appeared to be normal aircraft while the middle one was larger, and had a vaguely humanoid form strapped beneath it. Higher above the three and currently circling them were five smaller craft, obviously fighter jets flying escort.  
  
Misato nodded to Hyuuga then called out to the others. "That's them alright! Form up you guys! It wouldn't do to appear sloppy - not when they've given us a full half hour to better prepare," she finished snidely.  
  
The two normal craft landed first, one seemed to be a regular JSSDF troop carrier while the other seemed to be a more luxurious private jet. Doors opened and ladders descended from the JSSDF plane, disgorging staff and technicians but no one who seemed to be in charge yet so Misato let Hyuuga handle the introductions between the staff, as well as coordinating how the next step of the arrival.  
  
The transport carrying the robot descended lastly, and it hovered over the NERV truck as technicians from both forces began to attach or unattach various cables and restraints. Finally with the sound of clanking gears the robot was lowered onto the NERV transport while the carrier landed a bit farther out. Misato couldn't quite see the Keeper mechanoid yet but before she could get a closer look, the luxury jets doors opened and a group of important looking people began to disembark. Misato trotted over to greet them and do her job as official 'welcoming mat.'  
  
The first one down was a frumpy, elderly woman in business attire. She had tightly curled brown hair and a pleasant, slightly wrinkled face that reminded Misato of one of the Aunts' whom she had occasionally bunked with after the Second Impact. She smiled at Misato and extended her hand, which the major took in a firm grip.  
  
"I'm Doctor Umeko Takahashi. Major Katsuragi I presume?"   
  
"Yes ma'am, welcome to Tokyo - 3," Misato was prevented from prolonging her greeting by Makoto's arrival behind her.  
  
"The mecha has been secured and is ready for transfer Major," the Lieutenant said, snapping to attention before his superior. Misato smiled warmly at him then turned to the transport.  
  
"That's some wonder of technology you've got there Doctor," she said, after letting out an appreciative whistle.  
  
Ume laughed. "So I've been told - of course in my line of work, I'm more concerned with the mysteries and wonders of man than machine."  
  
Misato was about to reply when her vision was suddenly obstructed by a pair of hands reaching out to cover her eyes. Let out a yelp and struggled for a moment before a smooth, familiar and recently missed voice began to murmur softly in her ear.  
  
"The good Doctor has a point there... but then again I've personally been more inclined towards the wonders of _women_ myself ..."  
  
Misato felt the hands release her and she turned quickly to be faced by the sloppy, grinning face of Kaji Ryouji, hands on hips and an amused twinkle in his eyes.  
  
"But then again, you already knew that eh, Katsuragi?"  
  
"Ka... Kaji?" she whispered. It hadn't hit her until then just how worried she'd been about him... how it had taken so much effort to push away thoughts that he was dead, that she would never see him again... "Kaji!" she threw her arms around him, blinking back tears as she felt his warm presence, as the half remembered nightmares of what could have happened to him vanished from her mind. She didn't notice Dr. Takahashi's smile, nor Makoto's expression as it flitted from shock to anger and finally a sad resignation...   
  
After a while Misato let her arms loosen around Kaji and held him at arms length, looking him over closely. "Where the hell have you been this past month you bum? And why do you have a jacket exactly like mine? And what are you doing...," Misato's voice trailed off as she noticed a rank insignia on his jacket collar. Her eyes narrowed as she took a step back from Kaji. "Since when did you become MAJOR Kaji Ryouji?"  
  
Kaji blinked, and was about to stammer a response when Dr. Takahashi stepped forward. "It's a recent promotion, Major Katsuragi. After all since he's the Tactical Ops Head for the Keeper Mecha, he needed to have a rank equal to your own." The Doctor paused as Misato digested the words, the younger woman's jaw slightly agape. "I'm glad you two seem to be such good friends - you'll be working together a lot in the future..."  
  
Misato was staring hard at Kaji, who seemed to be fidgeting slightly under her gaze. "So THIS is who you've been working for all along is it? Not just the government but this secret project of the JSSDF?"  
  
"Well, uhm, in a way, but- "  
  
"And when were you planning on telling me all this? Were you even planning on telling me?"  
  
"Um it's complicated Katsuragi I- "  
  
Misato snorted. "I can't believe this," she muttered, obviously still fuming. Without looking at Kaji she turned on her heel and walked towards her car. "The mecha has been loaded, we'll continue the briefing at the base." She paused briefly then turned back to Dr. Takahashi. "It was at least a pleasure to meet YOU, Doctor," she said between gritted teeth before turning back to her car and walking away.  
  
Ume smiled at the Majors retreating back and turned to a still shell shocked Kaji Ryouji.  
"Well? What happened to your rehearsed speech? What happened to sweeping her off her feet?"  
  
"Uhm... well, yes it's... I mean, that is..."  
  
Ume laughed as she turned to the plane as the three Keeper pilots were brought down. "Oh I think I'm going to enjoy this," she cackled. "Seeing YOU speechless is such a _rare_ treat..."  
  
"Shut up Ume."  
  
* * * * *   
  
School let out not a moment too soon for Asuka Langley Sohryu. The bell hadn't even finished ringing before she had grabbed her things and was out the door, trotting down the hall as quick as she could without seeming undignified. After she had placed a good deal of distance between herself and the classroom, she allowed herself to look back and was gratified to see that she was way ahead of any of the other students, and that the reason for her rapid exit was no where to be seen.  
  
~Good! There is no WAY that Baka is getting even remotely near me on the way home!~  
She'd been studiously avoiding the Third Child ever since he had returned from his 'absorption' in Unit 01. She remembered he look on his face during their first meeting after his recovery, the crestfallen look that had shown when she had just ignored his entrance. Since then she'd made certain he knew that she hated his guts, never speaking to him unless it was to scream at him - and not in the friendly bantering way that they had both become used to. Shinji didn't show it often, but she knew she was getting to him - he was even more depressed and silent now than he had ever been since she'd arrived. Misato was beginning to worry and had minced no words when she had told Asuka just what she thought about the Second Childs 'attitude'. Asuka didn't care - Misato was always on Shinji's side anyway. EVERYONE was on the side of the 'great hero'. The Major was probably keeping Kaji out of Asuka's sight as well, just out of spite.  
But it was all worth it if it enabled her to get back at Shinji Ikari for humiliating her. He was a loser, a nobody - and yet through sheer chance he was doing things that she couldn't do, even... even _rescuing_ her! How DARE he upstage her again, how DARE he ?!?  
  
Still... in her calmer moments it occurred to Asuka that it wasn't as easy as she had thought to ignore the Third Child. Loath as she was to admit it, she had gotten used to their banter, to their arguments and occasional laughter. Shinji would just do something in his Shinji kind of way that would irritate the hell out of Asuka, and she'd feel the urge to correct him - just like this morning when the lout had overslept again. She'd seen him on his bed, clueless as usual with some sappy smile on his face and before she knew it she had been treating him like the old days, the days when he had known his place, where they at the very least had been _equals_... not like now where she could barely even get her Eva to...  
  
"Sheeeeiiissst!!! Why am I even thinking about him! What a waste of my valuable time!"  
Asuka blinked as she realized that her outburst had resulted in very strange glances from the people nearby and she turned on them in a fury.  
  
"What?!? Do you people have some kind of problem with me?!? Mind your own business dummkopfs!"  
  
With that the auburn haired girl stalked away, muttering to herself.  
  
~I'm in no mood to see that Baka now... maybe I'll just go to NERV and take a look at that stupid new robot. I hope some of the newbies are obnoxious - I really could use someone to scream at right now...~  
  
* * * * *  
  
Shinji and Touji watched in bewilderment as Asuka practically leapt out of her chair and zoomed out the door as the dismissal bell rang. The rest of the class began to file out at a more sedate pace, until only Hikari, Touji and Shinji were left in the room.  
  
"What do you think THAT was all about?" Touji asked, scratching his head over the redheads behavior.  
  
Shinji sighed. "She probably just wanted to avoid me... she's been doing that a lot lately..."  
  
Hikari looked at him sternly. "What did you do to Asuka-chan this time Shinji?"  
  
Shinji tried to stammer a response but Touji came to his rescue. "Aw give him a break Hikari - he's been out of commission for a month! I doubt he was able to do much to the Demon from a hospital bed..."  
  
Shinji blinked at that, then realized that Misato hadn't told them what really happened to him. They probably all thought he had been injured and had been recuperating for the past month.  
  
Touji's words had their intended effect on Hikari however and the class rep looked downwards as if chastened. "I'm... sorry Shinji-kun. I'm really glad you're back..."  
Shinji offered her a small smile. "Thanks Hikari."  
  
Hikari smiled in return but then frowned again. "I am worried about Asuka though... she's barely talked to anyone the whole month you were gone, even me. Sometimes, she'd come over to the house and ask if she could sleep there but even then all she did was play video games... I don't know what's wrong with her."  
  
Touji looked at Hikari with concern and tentatively placed an arm around her. "It'll be OK Hikari..."  
  
The sight of Touji comforting Hikari was enough to pierce Shinji's mood a little. It looked like not everything that had happened in his absence was bad, he thought to himself, a small smile crossing his lips.  
  
Meanwhile Touji was still talking to Hikari. "Maybe the Devil just missed her 'punch-dummy-Shinji'?"   
  
Shinji shook his head. "Did she LOOK like she missed me Touji? The only time she misses me now is whenever I'm quick enough to avoid a kick in the head!"  
  
At that Touji gave his friend a grin. "I guess you weren't quick enough today eh?" he said, pointing at the slight lump protruding from Shinji's head.  
  
As Shinji groaned, Hikari's face took on a determined expression. "This is really getting out of hand... we've got to find a way to find out what's wrong with Asuka!"  
  
"I just want to stay out of her way until we do," Shinji muttered.  
  
"So where are you off to now Shinji?" Touji asked,  
  
"Asuka's probably back at the apartment... and I really don't want to see her now..."  
  
"Well... Hikari and I were going to watch a movie - if you want you can come along..."  
Shinji looked up at his two friends and smiled at the offer. "Thanks you guys... but its ok... Misato said there was something going on at NERV later and invited me to go, so I think I'll head there instead."  
  
~With my luck, Asuka will be wherever I go anyway...~  
  
* * * * *  
  
Shigeru Aoba turned from his position at the bridge to where Ritsuko and Misato stood, observing the crews efforts to synchronize the Keepers operating systems and NERVs instruments. "Sensor and communications frequency calibration is proceeding as scheduled."  
  
"We should be able to get audio feed in a few minutes... it would take another hour or so to get video though," Maya Ibuki piped in.  
  
Beside Misato, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi shook her head. "No need for that just yet, all we need is an audio feed to the pilots in case we need to instruct them."  
  
At that the three members of the bridge crew - Maya, Shigeru and Hyuuga - nodded and turned back to their consoles. Misato smiled at Hyuuga's back as he threw himself into his work - he was probably relieved to be free of her for a while. For some reason, while Kaji had been gone, whenever she needed to vent it was usually Hyuuga that got an earful of it - and boy had she needed to vent earlier!  
  
The source of her annoyance was currently not two meters away, calling out some orders to the Keeper Technicians over the comm as they swarmed around the robot. Misato could see the robot clearly now in the main view screen, six arms crossed over its torso. It was a bit smaller than the EVA's, and looked slightly more complicated. Less human Misato supposed, but then from what Misato had discovered, the Eva's were more biological than mechanical anyway.  
  
"Do you actually know what you're doing?" Misato remarked, rather cattily, as Kaji leaned over to give Maya some instructions, his mouth close enough to breathe on the ear of the nervous lieutenant. "Since when did you become an expert on logistics and giant robots anyway?"  
  
Kaji laughed softly. "Eight years is a long time Katsuragi... I've been involved in quite a lot since our College days. A man is never sure what skills he will need later on, so its best to learn as much as possible when you can."  
  
"I don't remember you being such a study-holic when we were in College..."  
  
"True," replied the spy. Then he turned to her with a rougish smile on his face. "But then again, I was addicted to other kinds of 'learning' in those days - as you should well recall..."  
  
Misato growled and took a step towards him while Ritsuko laughed. "Well - he's got you there Misato. I still think that week of November must have been enough to break some sort of record somewhere..."  
  
Misato blushed at the memory. That had been one enjoyable - what was she thinking?!? "Ritsuko you're not helping!" she snapped, only to bring her hand to her mouth in chagrin when she realized how loud that had been. She glanced nervously towards the upper balcony but to her relief no one had seemed to notice her outburst.  
  
Above them, at the highest tier of the Command Center, Dr. Umeko Takahashi stood with Commander Ikari and Subcommander Fuyutski. After Fuyutski had introduced Umeko to the Commander, Ikari's face broke into his usual smirk.  
  
"So you are Dr. Umeko Takahashi then?"  
  
The psychologist smiled. "Indeed I am. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Commander Ikari. I've heard quite a lot about you."  
  
"As I have of you. You will be the person in charge of this... operation then?"  
  
"Nominally yes... the UN did place me in charge of overall operations. But I really don't know anything about Giant Robots or military strategy... or even the auditing of NERVs accounts that the UN seems to want so badly. Frankly, my main concern is to ensure the well-being of the Children."  
  
The Commander nodded sagely. "Indeed... that is a concern we all share."  
  
Misato turned away before anyone could see how her eyes had narrowed at that remark. ~Commander Ikari? Concerned for the Children? Yeah right! That'll be the day...~  
  
Behind her, Ume was already replying to the Commander. "My superiors will be happy to hear that Commander. But don't worry about us being a hindrance on the military side - my associate here, whom I believe you know, will be in charge of the Tactical side of things."  
  
"Indeed. We are - familiar - with Ryouji Kaji."  
  
Misato turned her eyes upward to see Ikari and Fuyutski facing downwards, their eyes directed towards Kaji. The former spy seemed to either hear his name, or feel the stares upon his back for he turned with a flourish, an ever present lazy grin on his unshaven face.  
  
"It is a great pleasure to once more be of service to you Commander Ikari," the spy began. "The previous months have certainly been a - learning experience for me."  
Misato could hardly believe her ears... was it just her or was the man deliberately_ provoking the Commander by alluding to his past as a mole in NERV? There were easier ways to commit suicide than pissing of Gendo Ikari.  
  
On his part the Commander seemed not to notice Kaji's subtle jibe, or at least his face gave no indication that he was at all affected. His words however were just as veiled and double edged as the spy's. "That is to my approval as you well know. However keep in mind Major, that some lessons can be more - uncomfortable - than others."  
  
"Alas I am a poor student Commander, for I learn best through pleasure, not pain."  
  
"Indeed. Hopefully circumstances would not force you into undesirable experiences. After all, some things should matter more to a man than education..."  
Kaji was about to reply, but before he could continue his verbal sparring with the commander, one of the side entrances slid open a very familiar pair of voices cut through further discussion...  
  
  
  
" - ALWAYS be under foot where you're not WANTED Shinji?"  
  
"I'm sorry! If I'd known you'd be here- "  
  
"What?!? Are you implying that I don't have as much right to be here as YOU Third Child?" Asuka's voice had risen in both pitch and volume with every word, and Shinji had to resist the urge to cover his ears with his hands. He had just _known_ that he'd run into Asuka again, no matter how hard he tried to avoid her. He hadn't wanted to get into another argument, but the more he tried to get her to calm down, the angrier she got.  
Shinji gulped as he suddenly found himself staring into two very angry blue eyes.  
  
"Well Shinji? Is the Great Hero too good to even speak to me now?!?"  
  
Shinji began to stammer some response but before he could say anything, he suddenly found himself pressed against Asuka in a rather uncomfortable position as a pair of strong arms encircled them both in a hug. The arms held their struggling - and in Asuka's case screeching - forms together for another moment before releasing them and speaking to them in a very familiar voice...  
  
"Well, well... still getting along famously I see..." said Kaji Ryouji as the two children turned to him. Shinji was about to greet the man when all of a sudden, Asuka let out a screech of pure joy and threw herself into the arms of the older man.  
  
"KAJI!!! Where oh where have you been? I've looked all over for you!"   
Shinji blinked. That was over board even for Asuka - it was like she hadn't seen him for... suddenly Shinji remembered someone mentioning that Kaji had been nowhere to be seen during his month in Unit 01, and this was probably the first time Asuka was seeing him in a while.  
  
Kaji carefully disengaged himself from Asuka's arms as he answered her questions. "Sorry I haven't been around Asuka, I had some - other business to take care of that kept me away for awhile. It's good to see you." He ruffled the red heads hair a bit then turned to Shinji. "It's good to see you as well Shinji. I heard you've had quite the experience while I was gone - sorry to have missed it."  
  
Shinji looked down. He still had a hard time believing he had actually been absorbed in the entry plug for a month. "I really don't remember much of what happened..."  
  
"Who cares about that dummkopf!" Asuka declared, clinging to Kaji's arm once more. Then, suddenly noticing something, she held him back at arms length.  
  
"Hey - why are you wearing Misato's clothes?" She gasped. "Don't tell me that - you and Misato - for an entire MONTH?!?"  
  
"Asuka! How could you even think that?!?" Misato said in a strained voice.  
  
"Why? It's not like its beyond you," the red head replied, hands on hips. "And you were gone an awful lot last month..."  
  
"I WAS TRYING TO GET SHINJI OUT OF THE EVA!"  
  
"Now now, settle down children," Ritsuko said, her eyes sweeping her gaze so that she included Misato in that statement. Misato scowled at her before turning back to Asuka.  
  
"If you must know, this stupid fools somehow been put in charge of Operations for the Keeper robot - you remember, the one you called an 'obsolete, clunky, redundant pile of crap'?"  
  
Asuka breath caught at that. "What?" she asked, then turned to Kaji. "You're a part of that- that- mockery? Do... do you want me replaced too Kaji?" For a moment Asuka's faced changed, and Shinji could see a glimpse of a wounded girl, hopelessly awaiting her next disappointment. He wanted to say something to comfort her, even if he knew he'd just make things worse, but luckily Kaji beat him to it.  
  
"Don't worry Asuka - no man or robot could replace you and Unit 02," the older man said, giving the red head a grin. "But what with Unit 01 in a freeze, NERV is undermanned. The Keeper is just here to lend a helping hand - or six in this case," Kaji ended, with a sloppy grin.  
  
His words seemed to brighten Asuka's mood. "Oh - so you're really here to replace _him_?" she said as she pointed a disdainful finger at Shinji. "That's perfectly fine then."  
~What have I ever done to HER?~ Shinji thought in annoyance. Her attitude was really starting to get to him...  
  
At that moment, one of the consoles let out a large beep and a series of icons began flashing on the main monitor. Everyone turned to the image of the new robot as the JSSDF and NERV techs began scrambling away from the mecha.  
  
"Communications uplink and configuration is confirmed," Maya announced. "Live audio feed channel is ready for testing."  
  
"Monitoring systems are functional," Shigeru continued. "Modified restraints have been connected."  
  
Hyuuga turned to Misato and Ritsuko. "Everything seems set for power and comm testing - should we proceed?"  
  
Misato looked up towards the Commander, who nodded. At his affirmative she turned to Kaji. Shinji thought she looked rather annoyed for some reason.  
  
"Well MAJOR, take it away. Time to earn your keep."  
  
"My pleasure Katsuragi."  
  
With that the spy turned towards the main screen and made a whispered request to Maya. A small window popped open which had the words 'NC-Sense: Sound Only' displayed.  
  
"This is Major Ryouji speaking - Sense, do you read me?"  
  
Much to Shinji's surprise, a very familiar, slightly nasal voice piped up enthusiastically.  
  
"Yes sir! I read you loud and clear sir!"  
  
Shinji's jaw dropped in shock, and he and Asuka shared one startled glance before he recovered himself enough to speak.  
  
"Ken - Kensuke?!? That's Kensuke!"  
  
"That baka? I - I don't believe it!"  
  
Apparently both of them had spoken loud enough to be heard over the comm system for Kensuke was soon addressing them specifically. "Hey Shinji! Asuka! Isn't this SO cool? We get to fight the Angels together! Wait'll you see what this baby can do!"  
  
"In your dreams stooge! No way that pile of scrap metal can compare with an Eva!" Asuka shot back before Shinji could say something more positive.  
  
"Hey!" The other boy cried out indignantly. "Don't you call my Keeper scrap Devil girl!"  
  
"You'll have time to prove her wrong later Kensuke," Kaji cut in before the argument could escalate. "Right now we just want to test the comm systems - everything all right on your end."  
  
"Yes sir Major!" Kensuke replied snappily. "All mimimum power sense operations check out perfectly sir!"  
  
"Stand down soldier," Kaji said, grinning at the boys enthusiasm for military address. He turned to Maya and nodded to the lieutenant, whose fingers flew across her keyboard once more. Another window opened - this time labeled 'NC-Shield'.  
  
"Shield, how's my transmission?"  
  
This time a female voice responded, calmly but cheerfully. "Smooth as silk Major. My instruments seem fine as well - though we won't know for sure until we power her up."  
  
"Don't worry Nyoko, that can wait till tomorrow. The boys not giving you any trouble?"  
  
A soft giggle could be heard over the comm. "Well Kensuke's too caught up living his dream to even notice us - the other one though..."  
  
"- is getting a tad impatient hanging around in this plastic bubble," another voice, male and playful, broke in. Shinji saw that another window had opened up. This newest voice seemed to belong to 'NC-Soul'.  
  
Kaji shook his head ruefully and addressed the third pilot. "Alright Soul, it's your turn now."  
  
"Oh joy," the voice replied. "Kaji I can't even move yet, do I really have to be here for this?"  
  
"Yes you have to Cho, and you're supposed to refer to me as Major remember?"  
  
"Sure Kaji! No problem Kaji!"  
  
Shinji saw Misato grin evilly as she saw the consternation on Kaji's face. "Looks like this pilots inherited his sense of 'professionalism' from his commanding officer."  
  
A sharp laugh resounded from above and when Shinji turned in that direction he saw that it came from the matronly looking woman standing next to his father.   
  
"You don't even know the half of it Major Katsuragi," the woman grinned.  
  
Kaji heaved a sigh and addressed the comm once more. "Alright now that we know the audio connections are working, you three better get down here before Cho embarrasses me more than he already has."  
  
"Hey I rese -" the third pilots voice was abruptly cut off his window faded from view.  
  
"Cho's going to kill you for that Nyoko," Shinji heard Kensuke warn, but the only response was that soft giggle once more as the other two windows vanished from the screen.  
  
Kaji turned to the others with a sheepish grin on his face. "They really are good kids," he said, almost by way of explanation.  
  
"It's not the kids I doubt," Shinji heard Misato murmur, but the boy's attention was focused on Kaji, for he had many questions that needed answers.  
  
"Uhm Kaji?" He waited for the older man to turn to him. "Why - How did Kensuke become a pilot?"  
  
Kaji shook his head. "That's a long story Shinji, one which I'm sure he will tell you with relish."  
  
A few moments later the doors to the command center opened and a figure emerged, wearing a suit that showed a closer resemblance to padded diving suits than the plugsuits that Shinji and the others were accustomed to. Kensuke was the first down, trying to walk with nonchalant formality, but Shinji could tell he was practically bursting with pride. What little of his control vanished however when he saw a smiling Shinji approaching him. In a flash the military otaku was rushing to his friend and had grabbed him in a wild hug.  
  
"Oh Shinji! Oh man! Can you believe it? I'm a pilot - I'm a pilot!" Shinji couldn't help but grin at his friends contagious enthusiasm. Kensuke was practically hyperventilating. "I can't wait till I can show you what she can do - oh man! I'm a pilot! I can't believe it!"  
  
"I certainly can't either," came Asuka's snide rejoinder from behind Shinji. "If a stooge like you can qualify then this robot must not have a very high learning curve..."  
  
"Asuka!" Kensuke let out. And then, in a move that took them all by surprise Kensuke ran towards the red head and promptly glomped her for all she was worth.  
  
"Wha-wha-" the girl managed to sputter out, her face a mask of shock.  
  
"Oh Auska! I'm a pilot! I'm so happy! Oh Asuka..." At this point Kensuke's voice began to trail off as he suddenly realized just who he had his arms around - and where his face was conveniently positioned. The boys adams apple bobbed violently as he tremblingly gulped and looked up into a face of blue eyed fury.  
  
"Er... um... this isn't what it looks like..."  
  
"HENTAIIII !!!" Asuka screamed, the volume of her voice only being eclipsed by the sound of her palm impacting with Kensuke's face. The blow sent the boys glasses flying but before they could shatter on the floor, a slim hand snatched them out of the air.   
  
"Just what Ken's always wanted - a pretty girl to slap him around. No wonder he missed home so much."  
  
Shinji turned to face the owner of the voice, but then he blinked and brought his eyes downward. The girl was plain faced, older than the three other children and wearing a suit similar to Kensuke's, topped by a red baseball cap reversed atop her brown hair. What caught Shinji's attention however, and the reason his gaze had to be adjusted downward, was the fact that the girl was sitting in a rather complicated wheel chair. The girl, still holding Kensuke's glasses in one hand and face brightened by a grin, slowly rolled herself forward towards the group.  
  
"My name is Nyoko Aihara, I'm very happy to meet you two. Kensuke's told me so much about you," she said, extending her hand to Asuka.  
  
The red head didn't seem to see the offered hand however. "YOU'RE a pilot?" she exclaimed. "But you're YeeoOOW!" she exclaimed before she could say anything more as Shinji trod on her foot as he took Nyoko's hand in a rather weak grip.   
  
"Uhm, I'm very pleased to meet you Nyoko, I'm Shinji Ikari."  
  
Nyoko smiled warmly up at him. "I know all about you Shinji - it's a great honor to meet someone as heroic as yourself!"  
  
Shinji blushed but was suddenly distracted from his self - consciousness by the approach of a growling, twitching Asuka.  
  
"You are so DEAD Third Child..."  
  
"Ah I see you've already met Nyoko," Kaji said as he skillfully maneuvered himself between Shinji and Asuka, the latter appearing to weigh the prospect of pounding Shinji and glomping Kaji for a moment before deciding on the glomping - much to Shinji's relief. Kaji motioned Misato and Ritsuko over to them and introduced the girl once more. "She's the prettiest one on the team y'know," Kaji continued, not noticing Asuka's scowl.  
  
Nyoko laughed at that. "Considering you've paired me with two lame excuses for men, that isn't saying much!"  
  
At that Kaji began to look around. "Speaking of which, where's Cho-"  
  
"EEEEK!!!"  
  
At the sound of the scream the group turned towards the doorway, where one of the female NERV technicians was briskly walking away from someone. That 'someone' turned out to be a young man dressed in the suit of a Keeper Pilot - 'Zip Suits' Shinji would later learn they were called - hot on the heels of the young woman, with arms outstretched and tongue practically hanging out of his mouth. He had black hair, close cropped aside from a bushy ponytail. His face was strangely familiar, and handsome enough if not for a long winding scar down the right side of his face, and a similar design seemingly tattooed on the left side.  
  
"Aw come on pretty lady - I'm a guest here! Shouldn't you show some hospitality to your guests? I just want to ask you about your, uhm, technical meassurements, yeah that's it!"  
  
Shinji could have sworn everyone from Kensuke up to the Commander developed large beads of sweat at that point.  
  
The young man might have actually caught up with the tech, if not for the fact that at that moment Nyoko gave a rebel yell and - with a mighty push - propelled herself directly into the young man, knocking him off his feet.  
  
"YeOuch! What's the big deal Wheels?" the pilot asked, as he stood up to glare at Nyoko.  
  
The girl grinned as she answered back. "Ever heard of sexual harassment scar face?"  
  
The scar faced young man grinned. "Yes, and for the record, no one I've ever had sex with has called it 'harassment' afterwards."  
  
Beside Shinji Asuka recoiled in disgust. "Sheist! What a hentai! Who is this jerk?"  
The male pilot seemed to hear her and turned his attention in the direction of the group. His eyes widened as he caught sight of Asuka, and grew even wider as he took in the forms of Ritsuko and Misato as well.  
  
"One, Two, Three pretty ladies - and one more seated over there... Woohoo!"  
In a flash Shinji found the pilot standing in front of the, ramrod straight and snapping a crisp military salute. Then the scarred face broke into a lopsided smile, and in that instant, Shinji knew why the face had seemed so familiar...  
  
"Chojiro Ryouji at your service ladies," the young man said, sweeping into a full waisted bow that allowed him a glimpse of certain of the womens... attributes, before finally fixing his gaze on Misato. A chorus of gasps sounded from the group, none louder than that of Shinji's guardian. All eyes turned to Kaji who gave a seemingly apologetic shrug.  
  
"Much as I hate to admit it, Cho is my youngest brother. What can I say? Libido runs in the family," he finished, grinning.  
  
Misato looked to be in a state of shock.  
  
"Two of them? TWO OF THEM? This can't be happening! Please someone tell me this is a dream..."  
  
Cho grinned and stepped forward with a hand outstretched. "I can pinch you to be sure ..."  
  
Nobody could tell afterwards if it was the slap or the scream that rendered Cho unconscious.  
  
* * * * *   
  
The grey haired boy stared out the window and silently beheld the vista of nothingness that stretched out before him, as far as the eye could see. The man-angel had said nothing since their initial exchange, only leading him to this window soon after and beckoning him to gaze outwards. How long he and his companion had been standing there he did not know - it seemed this place, like his companion, was bereft of a sense of time.   
  
Kaoru Nagisa did not mind the silence. He had grown used to it... and even in silence, music was not totally absent.  
  
Finally Cain spoke.  
  
"What do you see child of Adam?"  
  
Kaoru looked out once more at the void before him and replied. "Nothing, Lord. I see nothing beyond this place."  
  
Cain nodded, and Kaoru felt a sense of peace emanate from the man-angel. "Yes... it is soothing is it not? An absence of conflict, of lack, of each and every broken need..."  
  
"An absence of life..."  
  
"What is life Tabris, Adam Spawn? Is it not suffering? Is it not lack? Is it not a grasping for a completeness that lies always out of reach?"  
  
The boy shook his head. "Perhaps for the Lilim... I have never felt it to be so."  
  
A smile alights on the face of the body which Cain wears, and Kaoru feels his ironic amusement. "Then you have not yet lived Tabris."  
  
"As you say Lord."  
  
Cains feeling of amusement seems to intensify. "You persist in calling me that? Why?"  
The boy is silent a moment before answering. "Because you are closer kin to them, to the life-givers. You are the First Born of Lilith and Adam."  
  
Cain shook his head, purple locks sent swaying. "Lilim terms for a lilims reality. I filled the cracks between the Division, inhabited the space between Potential and Actual, between Dream and Reality. I was in Adam-Lilith, and Adam-Lilith was in me, was me... "   
  
The man-angel pauses for a moment, cold eyes distant. Karou feels more than sees the joy that is found is the remembrance and also, beneath it and pervading it, an all-encompassing hunger - one that turns into a throbbing ache as Cain continues.  
  
"And then came the Impact. And the Division... and the Hunger..."  
  
Kaoru gasped as the torrent of emotions passed through him, a turbulence of thought and feeling which the boy had never felt before, on a scale he would not have thought possible...   
  
Sometime between an instant and an eternity... it was over.  
  
The boy picked himself up from where he had fallen on the steel floor and looked once more upon the borrowed face of the First Born.   
  
"Why am I here Lord?"  
  
Cain smiles at the boy-angel and gazes once more into the void.  
  
"You are here to aid me in bringing back the proper order Tabris. To return to the time when there was no Time."  
  
"You seek... reunification? To cause what the Lilim call Third Impact?"   
  
Silence... a calmness of thought and emotion as intense as the turbulence of a moment ago... before the First Born answers.  
  
"No. I seek to end the Hunger, to end the Division... to end this constant emptiness called Existence. I seek Oblivion."  
  
Authors Notes: Well that's Chapter One. :) It ended up longer than I expected, but there was just so much to say, so many loose ends/details to make consistent - and I didn't want to end it until I had introduced the two new characters. I've always thought that a teen-aged Kaji would have been an explosive addition to the already simmering cast of Eva, and the fact that I've always thought that Kaji would have made a great older brother gave me the catalyst to do so without screwing up the time space continuum. Yes he's a lecherous pervert as opposed to a suave ladies man but hey, all Casanovas have to start somewhere right? Besides it's a way to assuage any fears that he'll be sweeping any cast member of her feet anytime soon... and no, he won't always be this annoying :) I originally wanted Nyoko to be a sibling as well, Mana's big sister actually, but I finally decided it would take away from her unique character.   
As to Asuka's behavior - much as I love her its generally understood that after Shinji returned from Unit 01, she began acting like a first class bitch, so that's how I played her here - though I tried to show her softer (relatively speaking) side as well.   
  
For an HTMLized version, plus fan art, and other Eva and Mark of Cain goodies, come visit my site: http://www.members.tripod.com/aletheia3/  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Rock the Boat

Evangelion: The Mark of Cain 

Chapter 2: Rock the Boat 

Disclaimer: Eva is not mine, and unless you're Anno, it probobly ain't yours either dear reader :) Anyone found here who is not in the series is mine however ^_^ 

Legend: _ _ means italics - used both for emphasis and thoughts 

"Reunited and it feels so good..." 

Asuka gritted her teeth hard as the stooges continued singing that idiotic pre-Impact American song. There had hardly been a moment of peace in the classroom since Kensuke had entered, to be mobbed by an ecstatic Touji and Shinji. It had been more than a month since they had seen each other last and they obviously meant to make up for the almost surreal peace and quiet that had descended in their stead. Not even Hikari was able to get them to stop - which just confirmed in Asuka's mind how out-of-hand the situation had gotten, especially if Touji was able to actually resist a shouted order from the class-rep. (He had cringed a bit but kept on singing.) Hikari had finally been reduced to scowling at the trio from where she stood beside her seat, all the while mumbling the extremely graphic things she was planning to do with her jock... After class was over at least, since the class-rep didn't want to cause even more of a disturbance than there already was. Asuka, however, was nearing her breaking point and experienced `Demon-watchers' in the class wisely began to inch away from her in the universally understood warning for impending classroom violence. Now to be fair, it must be noted here that if a brave soul had come up to Asuka at that point and oh-so-tactfully asked her what she _really_ felt about the reunion, the redhead would have grudgingly admitted that she was glad the idiot trio was back together. However this rather uncharacteristic sentiment was currently being smothered by a rising wave of annoyance at the warbling voices forcing their way into her eardrums... 

"Reunited and it feels so good..." 

It _might_ have been bearable if they had known more than that _one_ line... 

"ReuNIIIITED..." 

"Sheist! That DOES it!" Asuka screamed, pushing violently away from her desk and getting to her feet. The rest of the class immediately assumed `batten-the-hatches' mode as the irate Second Child began moving purposefully towards her prey. Fists clenched, piercing blue eyes making clear her murderous intent, she stalked towards the back of the room, ready to hospitalize the first stooge to open his mouth - when she suddenly found herself confronted with the smiling, happy face of Shinji Ikari. 

The boy had his eyes closed, and thus hadn't seen her yet. He was not singing along with the other two, probably because the baka didn't know the words, but on his face was such a look of absolute and total rapture that even in her rage, his roommate couldn't help but stop and stare. Shinji just looked so... _happy_... She had never seen him smile quite the way he was smiling now. Involuntarily, the last part of NERV's motto floated into her head... 

"... all's right with the world..." 

That's how he looked at that moment, surrounded by his best friends; content, relaxed, at peace. Suddenly Asuka wondered if she had ever made him feel the way he seemed to be feeling now ... Probably not during the past few days. Ever since he returned she had been trying - and succeeding - to make his life as miserable as possible. Not that it was a very hard thing to do - not to someone with Shinji's personality. Whatever guilty feelings she may have had at treating him in such a manner were viciously suppressed before her towering indignation: the baka _deserved_ to be treated that way! There was nothing wrong with being the only one around him who didn't think he was so damn great! 

Now, however, looking at how happy Shinji _could_ be, the red head felt an unfamiliar thread of shame worming its way into her heart. ~Maybe... maybe I'm being too harsh on the baka,~ she thought as she began to lower the fist she had been ready to lash out with. The Second Child turned around to go back to her seat... and stopped when she realized that everyone in class was staring at her with varying looks of surprise and amusement on their faces... With a start it occurred to her that she had been frozen in place, fist poised to strike out at Shinji, for well over a minute. Some of the braver students were already giggling over how stupid she had looked, standing there in attack position, apparently lost in blissful contemplation of the Third Child's face. Blushing furiously, Asuka felt her scattered feelings of shame washed away by a tide of embarrassment, followed by a seething anger. 

~That BAKA! How dare he humiliate me like this! How DARE he!~ 

With that thought she whirled around and booted the oblivious stooge on his shin. 

"Ow!" 

"Hey! What did ya do that for Devil-Girl?" Touji asked in indignation as Shinji writhed in pain. 

"Watch your mouth `plastic man' or you're next!" 

"That's _it_ you bleach brained little-" 

Before the argument could escalate however, everyone's attention was captured by a chorus of indignant female voices rising from outside... 

"Hentai! Hentaaaiii!!! 

"Come back here you perv- !" 

"Get him!" 

"Don't let him get away!" 

There was a blur of motion as the door to class 2-A slid open for a split second, then shut just as quickly. The young man who had entered the room in the interim hurriedly pressed himself to the wall at the right of the entrance, holding a finger to his lips as he faced the class. The stranger was panting heavily, and had a familiar scarred face which was currently screwed up in an expression of nervous anxiety. 

Kensuke blinked once, then twice. "Cho-?" he began but was immediately shushed by the other. 

"Keep it down four-eyes," the older boy hissed. "Can't you see I've got an emergency on my hands?" Asuka recognized him as one of the dummkoff pilots she had met yesterday. _Kaji-kun's brother_ a voice whispered in her head and she grimaced. How this oaf was in any way related to her suave and sophisticated Kaji-kun was something that boggled the mind... 

Not a second later the angry voices that they had heard earlier were coming from right outside the door. Asuka could see a crowd of girls standing right outside their door - all of them dressed in gym attire. 

"Where did he go?" 

"I could have sworn I saw him pass this way..." 

"Maybe he entered this classroom..." 

Cho gulped and his eyes began desperately to search for a possible exit... But just then another girl's voice interrupted, one that seemed vaguely familiar to Asuka. 

"Are you ladies searching for that ugly looking, scarred pervert? I think I saw him rush across the hall towards the Chem room." 

"What? Oh, thank you miss - alright ladies you heard the girl... Let's go put some fear of God into that lousy hentai!" 

With a ferocious cheer, the mob of women surged onward, leaving Cho to heave a sigh of relief while the rest of the class sweatdropped. After the girls' heavy foot falls had faded into the distance, the familiar voice spoke again. 

"You can let me in now Cho, your latest playmates have gone." "Good old Nyoko," said Cho grinning, as he slid the door open to reveal a brown haired girl in her late teens, sitting in a wheel chair. The female Keeper pilot was wearing a cap on her head, one which she wore backwards as Touji sometimes did. "I thought it was all over for awhile there..." 

Nyoko on the other hand, was not smiling. "Don't think you're out of the woods yet Chojiro Kaji - just what _exactly_ were you doing in the women's locker room at this time of day?" 

The other pilot smiled, a grin eerily reminiscent of Kaji's. "Well there's a simple explanation for that my dear Nyoko..." 

"I'm waiting." 

Cho closed his eyes as an expression of rapture came upon his face, and with each word he rose higher on his toes, almost giving off the impression that he was levitating. "It's right after their swimming class! What better time to get an eyeful of some Wet. Gorgeous. Beauties?!?" 

It was around this point that Nyoko rolled over his foot with her wheelchair. 

Asuka shook her head in disbelief. THESE were the people she was supposed to be working with for the salvation of humanity? Well, at least she no longer wondered how Kensuke qualified to be a pilot... he'd probably fit right in with these people. 

"Excuse me," Asuka barked in a loud voice while the rest of the class was staring at the strange pair that had found their way into the classroom. "But just exactly _what_ are the two of you _doing_ here? Please don't tell me you're enrolled in this class with us..." 

Her voice seemed to bring the two to their senses, and they suddenly seemed to realize that their little performance had acquired quite a captive audience. Nyoko flushed slightly, but Cho's grin on the other hand seemed to widen- especially after he had gotten a good look at the girls of the class - up until he saw Asuka's scowling face. 

The incorrigible Keeper pilot faced the blue eyed glare of the Demon for a second, then blinked and turned to Kensuke. "Is the red head always this irritable in the morning Ken?" 

The bespectacled boy gulped. "You - you don't seriously expect me to answer that do you? After all I told you about her?" 

Before Asuka could ask just what _exactly_ Kensuke had told them about her, she was interrupted by Touji. The jock was looking at the two new comers rather curiously. "Are these the friends ya were telling us about Kensuke?" 

Kensuke nodded. He motioned to the two of his friends whom he hadn't introduced yet. "Yeah - Touji, Hikari, these are my co-pilots Chojiro Kaji and Nyoko Aihara." 

Before the boy could introduce the others to his co-pilots, Asuka interrupted him. "I know their names stooge, what I'd like to know is what they're doing _here_!" 

Beside her, Hikari gave a reluctant nod, eyes shifting from the class to the newcomers and back again. "Yes, I'd like to know that as well... Sensei might come at any minute..." 

Cho opened his mouth to answer but Nyoko beat him to it. "Don't worry, we'll be gone soon. Actually, we're _supposed_ to be in a meeting with your principal in a few minutes," she said, pausing for a moment to scowl at an unrepentant Cho before turning to Asuka and Shinji. "But it might be a good thing we caught you guys here before class started- we were going to pass by later on to ask you guys to wait for us after school." 

"Huh?" Shinji replied eloquently. "You mean me and Asuka?" 

The girl with the cap nodded. "Right, and Rei Ayanami as well," she said, turning to where Rei was customarily seated near the window. 

"You kids are lucky today - no walking or commuting! Nyoko and I will be driving you home after school," Chojiro added. "No need to be too grateful - we just like to extend a helping hand to those in need every now and-" 

"And why the hell should we be grateful in the first place?!?" Asuka cut in, intensely annoyed. The nerve of this guy..."Who asked for your help anyway? We were perfectly fine before YOU came along hentai-boy, and we'll _still_ be fine after the Angels send you back to whatever dirt-hole you crawled out from!" 

"Whoa, reality check here pretty lady," the scarred boy said, holding up his hands. "The Angels winning would be a `bad' thing. We're on the same side here remember?" 

"Not if I can help it," Asuka muttered darkly, ignoring the anxious looks Shinji was sending her way. 

"Well I'm sorry to be the one to break this to you Second Child, but you _can't_ help it," Nyoko said, a stern expression on her face. "Like it or not we'll be working together from now on - and not just that. The U.N. also charged the JSSDF and Keeper staff to make sure that you children are taken care of- " 

"What?!? We don't need any baby sitters!" 

"- _and_ we mean to do that job whether you like it or not - not just for your sake but for the sake of everyone else as well," the crippled girl continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. 

"Are you _deaf_?!? I said we don't need you! Right Shinji?" 

The Third Child was taken completely by surprise, and hastily looked back and forth between Asuka and Nyoko. "Uhm... er that is... well..." 

Before Asuka could berate the boy once more for his spinelessness, a flat, emotionless voice spoke up from behind her. 

"I will cooperate with you. What is it you require?" 

Nyoko turned to Rei and beamed her approval. "Finally! A Child who listens to reason," she said, before turning back to the other two. "Actually, all we were sent to do today is check out your respective places of residency - just for a routine evaluation - living conditions, environment etc." 

"What? No way am I letting you into MY apartment, and that is final!" the red head proclaimed, conveniently forgetting that it wasn't _exactly_ her apartment. Besides that was a trivial detail - what mattered most was that she showed these pushy new-comers just who was boss around here... They could walk all over Shinji and the First Child if that's what they wanted to do, but not the great Asuka Langley Sohryu! 

In response, Chojiro heaved a great sigh and shook his head despondently. "Well, I guess there's no changing your mind is there? Come on Nyoko," he said to his astonished companion, who had seemed on the verge of shouting at Asuka. "I might as well go tell brother Kaji he has nothing to worry about." Since the scarred boy was facing Nyoko at the time, the Second Child didn't see the wink he threw his partner before he turned back towards Asuka. "He specifically asked me to see if you were too crowded in Misato's place Asuka, and to invite you to come stay over at his place instead if you wished- but I guess you're fine where you are so..." 

Asuka was about to nod in agreement before the meaning of Cho's words penetrated her brain. The redhead blinked. 

"Kaji - Kaji-kun said I could stay with him?" 

Cho nodded, but then held up a finger. "But only if I could see first hand that you were having difficulties over at Misato's pla -ack!" he cried, suddenly finding his armed wrenched forward as Asuka began pulling him towards the door. 

"What are we waiting for then?!? C'mon let's go! I'll show you just how much suffering I have to undergo over at Misato's!" 

Cho's shouted protests continued unheeded as he was dragged out into the corridor - where unfortunately, one of the girls from gym class spotted him. 

"There he is! GET HIM GIRLS!!!" 

Safe inside the classroom, Kensuke grinned and turned to Nyoko as the sound of the carnage outside grew in intensity. "Sometimes, old Cho outsmarts himself doesn't he?" 

"Put it this way - he's so dumb even the smart things he does turn out to be dumb ideas in the end," Nyoko replied laughing. 

Kensuke joined in as he brought out his trusty video cam and pressed the `record' button... 

* * * * * 

"This... this is where you live?" 

"Yes." 

Shinji recognized the look that crossed Cho's face as he got his first glance at the complex where Rei had her apartment - it had crossed his own face the first time he had been there. He wondered if the same thoughts could be running through the older boy's head... 

~They're just... slabs of concrete. Cold, generic, lifeless... how could anybody live here? How could this be anybody's... home?~ 

The others came to stand beside Cho and Rei. There were eight of them altogether - Kensuke was a Keeper pilot so he was really supposed to come anyway, and he and Shinji had asked Touji to tag along. At that point Asuka had become worried about getting the `Stooge Stupidity Disease' and had cajoled a blushing Hikari into accompanying them as well. Luckily, the vehicle that Cho and Nyoko were using was a spacious mini-van, and thus there was enough space for all of them. The first thing that had caught Shinji's attention was that the van had been modified to allow a handicapped person like Nyoko to operate it, and in fact it had been her who had driven them to Rei's apartment. Shinji found it strange that Cho didn't offer to drive instead Nyoko - it was obvious that while the female pilot was a competent driver, it was still more difficult for her than it would have been for Cho. To top it off, Kaji's brother had spent most of the trip to Rei's snoring rather loudly in his seat. 

A loud snort from in front of him brought the Third Child's thoughts back to the present, where Asuka was currently tapping her foot rather impatiently. "Well, let's hurry this up Wondergirl! The sooner we finish looking at your _luxurious_ living quarters, the sooner I can show them the circus tent that is Misato's place - and the sooner I can move in with Mr. Kaji!" The red head said that final sentence with particular relish. 

"Um... I don't think we're going to see anything luxurious Asuka," Hikari said in a low voice, looking somewhat distastefully at the debris scattered around the area from the nearby demolition/construction site. 

"Oh I wouldn't be _too_ worried Hikari," Asuka sneered. "Didn't you know? Rei there is the Commanders _favorite_ . I wouldn't be surprised if all this was just a cover so us _normal_ pilots don't get jealous..." 

"Boy is _she _ in for a surprise," Touji commented to Shinji as they began to make their way up the stairs of Rei's building. Touji had already seen Rei's apartment and he knew how off base Asuka's assumptions were. 

"What do you mean by that Touji?" Kensuke asked. The bespectacled boy was helping carry Nyoko's collapsible wheelchair while Cho carried the Keeper pilot herself. Then a malicious grin spread across his face. "Have you been to Rei's place before? You've been cheating on Hikari while I was away haven't you? Haven't you?" 

Touji's response was a blow that almost knocked Kensuke's glasses off his face. "Shaddap ya twerp," he growled as Kensuke laughingly fended off further blows. 

Shinji looked back to Asuka and shook his head... His roommate always assumed the first thing that came into her mind - and it was usually wrong. He wanted to tell her to stop with the insults, to defend Rei somehow - but that'd just result in an argument. Besides, she'd see the truth soon enough. 

Up ahead, Rei and the older Keeper pilots had stopped in front of the First Child's apartment. Kensuke put the wheelchair down and unfolded it before Cho set Nyoko upon it. 

"Sure you wouldn't rather just stay in my arms Nyoko-chan?" Cho asked with a grin as he straightened up once more. The girl smiled affectionately and patted his hand. 

"In your dreams scar-boy." 

Cho gave a long suffering sigh. His hands reached out towards the large amount of correspondence sandwiched within the door's mail slot. The scarred boy pulled a few out of the bundle - no easy task - and rifled through them, grinning as he saw they were largely junk mail and surveys. "That's an innovative method you've discovered to deal with all this crap... let them pile up to the point where no one can get anything else in the mail box." He grinned as he turned to the First Child. "Well now that we're all here, why don't you show us in Rei?" 

The First Child nodded and simply pushed open the door. 

"Don't you lock your door?" Nyoko asked in surprise. 

"It is not necessary," the albino replied. "No one comes here." 

Nyoko looked like she was going to ask another question but the albino girl had already stepped into the apartment. Shrugging, the older girl wheeled herself in - and stopped at the threshold. One by one as the others came close enough to see what lay within, they too froze in place. Among the group, only Shinji and Touji had seen Ayanami's apartment before and as such were the only one's prepared for the sight that lay within. 

Nobody spoke for a few moments, and even when Hikari broke the silence, her voice was no more than a whisper. "Ayanami - lives _here_?" The class representative had her hands raised to her mouth - whether to muffle her voice or because of the shock was anyone's guess - and was shaking her head slowly from side to side. "How could _anyone_ live here...?" 

The one word Shinji could think of to describe the room was... gray. Not just gray in terms of color, although it was that as well. No attempt had been made to disguise the hue of the rectangular concrete slabs that enclosed the room, that constituted its ceiling, floor and each of the room's walls... all of which were made even darker by the accumulation of grime and dust. Even the tattered blue curtain gave off a sense of gray, a sense of being uncared for - generic and worthy of little note. Shinji thought it smelled sort of grey too - a stale, machine-like, smell that seemed to imply that the air within was little used to any movement, any change. The steady, pounding noises from the outside seemed to emphasize the mechanical monotony that characterized the room - one may as well call it a cubicle. Gray would also be a fitting word to describe the very mood of the room as well, an absence of any shred of uniqueness or character - no pictures, decorations or furniture aside from a simple bed, cabinet and refrigerator - nothing that would give any indication of the kind of person who lived there. Unless one thought that Ayanami was as lifeless as her living space... 

Shinji forced such thoughts violently aside. Yes, Ayanami could seem cold and empty at times, but Shinji knew that there was more to her than what most people saw. She'd risked her life for him before, and he was sure she'd do so again... she'd smiled for him after that, and for one second Shinji believed he had seen the real Rei ... a girl who was like him in so many ways. Ayanami had even thanked him once... Silently Shinji turned his eyes to the floor of the room. There was still litter here and there, assorted papers and wrappers, but this time at least they were all piled in one corner instead of scattered around the room. 

Meanwhile, Rei was already well within the apartment, and she turned towards the others with a slightly quizzical expression on her face. 

Nyoko seemed to be the first to snap out of her initial shock and was already wheeling herself forward. "Alright, let's finish this quickly... I can't _wait_ to give my report on this," she muttered. The girls voice was grim and determined, though her next words were pitched so low that not many people could hear. "What are they _doing_ to this kid?" 

Cho followed closely after her, mumbling something to himself as he whipped out a clipboard and began to make little notes on an official looking piece of paper. The pilot seemed to take this job seriously, a small frown on his face as he peered behind the sparse furniture, tapped on the walls, peered out the window... He even managed to make a sweep of Rei's bath room without making any perverted comments. Later, he removed a complicated looking instrument from his pocket - a portable emission and wave detector Shinji was to learn later - and after glancing at the readings on it's display, Cho's expression grew concerned. He whispered something to Kensuke who nodded and began filming the apartment with his handy-cam, focusing on this or that area at Cho's directions. Nyoko, meanwhile, had struck up a discussion with Rei. 

Shinji and the others began to file in as well, Touji and Hikari circling the room while trying to keep out of the way of the pilots, occasionally conversing quietly. The Second Child however, did not immediately move forward with them. Behind him, Shinji could see Asuka moving slowly to one of the walls and gingerly running a finger across its surface - it came away blackened by dirt. He half expected her to react in disgust at the filth... But strangely enough, she seemed subdued. The red head turned her eyes towards Rei - who was busy answering some of Nyoko's questions - and then after a moment slowly shook her head. 

"I don't get it," she whispered. 

Shinji turned his attention to the mysterious blue-haired girl as well. He didn't get it either, but whatever was wrong here, he knew it had but one source... And without thinking, his eyes strayed to a pair of broken glasses lying on top of the cabinet... 

* * * * * 

Rei Ayanami found herself slightly puzzled by the reactions of her companions to her quarters. Somehow it seemed as if they had expected more - but what more was necessary? Quarters were merely where one went when uninvolved with other duties - it was a place one returned to so that one would be easily found in case one was needed. 

The Keeper Pilot, Nyoko Aihara, seemed to be the one most disturbed by her quarters. She seemed not to realize that Rei was perfectly content with its state. 

"Rei... who assigned you to this... place?" 

"Commander Ikari." 

Nyoko's eyes narrowed at that. "Did he check the place before he sent you here? Has he ever come here himself?" 

Rei nodded. "Yes. He has been here before." 

"And he made no comment as to the... the state of the place where you were living?" 

"No." 

"Why not? Did he ever explain his decision, tell you why you were placed here?" 

"No. The Commander has no need to explain himself." 

This seemed to anger the handicapped girl as her expression darkened considerably. Rei did not like the idea of someone questioning the Commanders decisions - but the Commander had instructed her to cooperate with the new comers - at least in day to day matters - and so she obeyed. It was not Keeper Pilot Aihara's fault that she had little faith in the Commander, that was common enough even within NERV. Even Ikari-kun doubted his own Father. 

At the thought of the younger Ikari, Rei's eyes flitted slightly to the right, where Ikari-kun was talking with Pilot Suzahara and Keeper Pilot Aida, the latter of whom was taking shots of her quarters with his video camera. . She had seen Ikari-kun glance towards the pile of discarded material that clustered in the corner of her room - it was only then that she had felt a twinge of embarrassment at the state of her living quarters. She remembered, vividly, how he had picked each scrap of paper from the floor the last time he had been here - it had never occurred to Rei that someone might do such a thing for her. Yet Ikari-kun was always surprising her... she had found herself saying `thank you' that time, words she never recalled using before. 

Ever since then, the First child had been... confused as to how to deal with the discarded materials which she had previously ignored. Part of her said that since the Commander had not seen fit to notice the scraps, they were to be ignored. And yet... Ikari-kun had picked them up - were they wrong somehow? Was she meant to keep her quarters orderly, like the Class Representative endeavored to do with their classroom? Rei had as yet been unable to resolve the dilemma and had thus settled on a compromise - leaving the discarded material on the floor but sweeping them towards one corner. No one else would ever know, but it had taken her hours to organize the pile in such a way that she believed she was going against neither the Commander nor Ikari-kun's wishes... 

Rei was brought back to the present when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Keeper Pilot Kaji looking at her with an expression she was unaccustomed to seeing on his face - one which was serious, and bereft of humor. 

"Ayanami... are you ok?" 

The First Child stared at him for a moment before nodding. "There are no problems." 

"That's what she thinks..." came the voice of Keeper Pilot Aihara as she brought herself to a position beside the two. The handicapped girl turned to Pilot. "Did you check everything out? Structure, plumbing, pollutant levels..." 

"Done and recorded. I might want to take a look around later on to see where that infernal sound is coming from but I think we've seen all we came to see here." 

The girl in the cap gave her partner a strange look before turning to address the others. "Alright everyone, let's get out of here..." 

As they left her quarters, Rei Ayanami could not quite understand the peculiar expressions her companions sent her way. This should not come as a surprise - for the First Child had never been exposed to pity before... 

* * * * * 

Misato sighed as she gazed at the pile of paperwork on her desk - almost reminiscent of the aftermath of the Seventh Angel debacle. The JSSDF Keeper Task Force's arrival had entailed a lot of paper work to make sure that there was a smooth integration of the two groups, as well as to certify all the necessary procedures were followed. In fact, there was so much paperwork that an equally high mound of it had been piled atop the secondary desk, which she normally used to store her more personal belongings. Sighing she decided that was as good a place to start as any, and reached down to grab a two foot high pile of authorization forms - 

- to reveal behind them the grinning face of Ryouji Kaji... A face that broke into laughter as she scrambled backwards with a shout, paperwork flying in all directions. 

"Wha - what are YOU doing here?" she screamed, pointing a trembling figure at the unshaven man before her. 

"And good morning to you too honey," the spy replied that annoyingly cock sure grin still plastered on his face. "Or good afternoon rather... does this mean us Major types get to report to work at 11:00? This could mean wonders for my social life..." 

With an effort Misato regained some of her tattered composure and strode quickly to the door. She wrenched it open and with an imperious gesture pointed towards the outside. 

"You. Out. Right. Now." 

Kaji shook his head. "No. Can. Do. Gorgeous," the former spy replied mockingly. 

Misato resisted the urge to begin tearing at her hair. "If you can't give me a good reason to be here _Major_, I suggest you step out immediately before I have security haul your ass out of MY office!" 

"Our office." 

Misato blinked. "What did you say?" 

The man stretched lazily and placed the papers he had been reading back atop the pile on the desk. "I said `our office'. Meaning both yours and mine Katsuragi." Kaji grinned. "I told them I'd be too much of a distraction for you, but they wouldn't listen... I suppose they think we'll do better work if we're attached at the hip - sort of like Shinji and Asuka," he finished, chuckling at the thought. 

The purple haired woman tried in vain to close her gaping jaw. "You... you can't be serious." 

Kaji put on a solemn expression. "Oh, I am, trust me on this one. Our office." He stopped and pointed towards the desk where he had been sitting. "My desk." Then he smiled and held up a frilly black object. "Although you do, of course, have my permission to continue using it as a closet for your lingerie..." 

Misato blushed, then growled a curse and snatched the offending garment out of his hands before stalking back to her one remaining desk. As if all this paperwork wasn't bad enough... she sighed. 

"Hey, don't look so glum Katsuragi," the spy said. "At least you'll only have to go through half of these papers..." 

"You think I'd leave anything YOU did unchecked by me?" Misato shook her head in exasperation. "Instead of pestering me why don't you just go out there and restrain that sex-crazed brother of yours? I swear if he keeps this up, this stack of papers will look like nothing next to the amount of sexual harassment cases you'll have to go through." 

Kaji's grin faded and he actually looked slightly embarrassed before responding. "Well Cho's a bit... wild at times, but he'll settle down eventually." The lopsided smile returned to the male Majors face a second later however. "Besides he's busy right now, off on an inspection of the Children's living conditions..." 

Papers were flung to the floor once again as Misato leapt up like an uncoiling spring. "What?!? They're going to go to my apartment today? As in right now?" 

Kaji blinked. "Yes, Dr. Takahashi's orders... is there a problem?" 

Misato blanched. When Misato needed an outlet for her emotions, it usually involved a lot of beer, swearing, beer, kicking, ramen and beer to get it completely off her chest- and after she yesterday's revelations she had had a _lot_ vent. She had promised the children the night before that she would do the `responsible' thing and take charge of the clean-up the next day... But when she finally woke up she had discovered it was 10:00 in the morning and that she was already late for a meeting. The result of this was that she had rushed out of the apartment without fixing up at all - and now there was going to be some sort of `inspection'... 

Misato groaned. All she could hope for now was that no one would bring a camera... 

* * * * * 

"Cool cool cool!" Kensuke shouted as he zoomed his camera in on one of the numerous pieces of clothing strewn about the house. "Could that be - Misato's lingerie?" 

Asuka shook her head in disbelief while simultaneously throwing her school bag at Kensuke's head. She had been hoping that since it had been Misato's day to clean up this morning, the place would be less tidy than usual, but not even she had expected that Misato wouldn't clean up _at all_ after her drunken debauchery the night before. Chips, ramen wrappers and many, _many_ beer cans littered the main area of the apartment, in addition to the aforementioned pieces of clothing. Only the kitchen was clean, but that was only because baka-Shinji had had to use it to make their breakfast and had been unable to even begin without clearing away the clutter.... 

The two older Keeper pilots came forward gingerly, picking their way through the `wreckage', Nyoko having an especially hard time when her wheelchair got entangled in what appeared to be a shredded pantyhose. 

Cho managed a weak grin. "Well... this certainly looks more, uhm, lived in." 

Nyoko snorted. "Oh joy... lived in by what? An alcoholic typhoon?" 

Asuka brightened. "Does this mean I get to stay with Kaji-kun?" 

Cho made a sound deep in his throat and moved his hands in an uncertain gesture. "Let's not be too hasty - we still have to make a more thorough check," The scarred boy grinned suddenly then and his hand shot up into the air. "I volunteer to check out Misato's room!" 

Nyoko sighed. "Down, scar boy. Let's follow procedure eh?" Cho put on a despondent expression before once more pulling out his clipboard and making his rounds around the living room - paying closer attention to certain articles of clothing than Asuka believed to be proper. 

Apparently Nyoko agreed. "Cho put that _down_... Do you have to be so disgusting?" 

"What?" the other pilot replied innocently. "Just trying to do my job here... this here might contain some, er, harmful emissions - yeah that's it!" 

The others filed in by twos: Touji and Hikari first followed by Rei and Shinji. Hikari looked mildly green at the sight of such blatant untidiness and even Touji looked impressed. 

"Hoo-kay... now I see what Shinji complains about... Misato really can be a bit of a slo... Hey! Is that - Misato's lingerie?!?" 

As Hikari pulled rather violently on Touji's ear, Rei took a spot at one corner and stared in apparent interest at the clutter spread across the room. The Third Child on the other hand - upon seeing the mess their guardian had left behind - shook his head ruefully and began to pick up the assorted pieces of litter lying about the house. "She's really not all that bad... the place isn't like this everyday..." 

Nyoko raised an eyebrow at that. "I certainly hope not..." 

Asuka growled under her breath. Baka-Shinji was going to ruin her perfectly laid out plan! If she could get Cho and Nyoko to believe that she was under less than stellar conditions at Misato's she just might get to live with - and her face brightened at the mere thought - Kaji-kun! She was _not_ going to let this chance slip away because of piddling little details like Truth and Honesty. 

"That's NOT true! It's always like this here! Everyday!" 

The Third Child blinked, and seemed to be trying to muster the courage to contradict her when monkey-boy Touji beat him to it. 

"That's a lie Devil-girl and you know it! Misato takes good care of you guys!" 

"Yeah!" Kensuke piped in. "You should be grateful, not back stabbing her when she's not around!" 

Stupid stooges! "How would you two know what kind of a guardian she is - you can't even see beyond her chest!" 

"Well," Cho cut in, "It _is_ kind of hard to miss after all..." 

Hikari scowled at Touji for a moment before reluctantly agreeing with him. "I think you're being a bit too harsh Asuka-chan... it's pretty clean here most of the time..." 

Sheist... if none of the others backed her story there was no way the Keeper pilots were going to believe it - especially with that stooge Kensuke being one of the pilots. She needed a change of tactics quickly... Suddenly she had a flash of inspiration and she smiled evilly at Shinji. 

" I _know_ all that - but there's a reason it's usually much cleaner isn't there, Shinji?" 

The Third Child shrank beneath her glare. "I... uhm... I dunno what you're talking about Asuka..." 

Her grin grew even more predatory as she advanced on the retreating form of her roommate, each accusatory word accompanied by a step in his direction. "Isn't it true that she arranged it so that most of the cleaning chores fall on us, Shinji? Didn't you tell me how she tricked you into taking almost all the weekly chores? Isn't it true that we end up cleaning and cooking and doing the groceries even when it's her turn because we don't trust her to do it right?" 

"Well, uhm, yeah but..." Shinji shook his head. "It's not all that bad! You make it sound like we're her slaves or something!" 

"Well aren't we? It may be fine for _you_ dummkof, but it's not good enough for Asuka Langley Sohryu!" Before waiting for her roommates answer she strode over to the kitchen and stood by the smaller refrigerator. "And, as final proof that I am in need of a better guardian I give you..." she paused for dramatic effect before yanking the refrigerator open. "Exhibit A!" 

There was a moment of silence as the two older Keeper pilots beheld the contents of Misato's refrigerator for the first time. 

Cho blinked and let out a low whistle. "My, my... it must really pay to sell beer in this area..." 

Nyoko just tsked and shook her head. As Asuka savored her moment of triumph however, the handicapped pilot glanced towards the larger fridge. "What's in that? Please tell me not more beer..." 

At that moment the fridge's door slid open and Asuka's smallest roommate stepped out into the room. Once more the two older pilots were stunned into silence as the hot-spring penguin waddled into the room and stopped before them, eyes darting quickly from one to the other, before he finally placed himself before Nyoko and let out a questioning `wark?'. As the other children began laughing at Nyoko and Cho, the handicapped pilot's face broke into a huge smile. 

"I can't believe it... it's a penguin! What's a penguin doing here?" In a second she had the surprised Pen-pen in her arms and was squeezing him for all he was worth. To the surprise of everyone she began raining kisses down on the confused birds forehead. "I just adore penguins! They're just absolutely my favorite animals!" Cho shook his head. "Uh - oh... we'll never get her to focus now... I think Nyoko's got a penguin fetish or something. She's got this thing about grounded birds..." 

"Flightless birds Chojiro Kaji," the girl pilot corrected, still snuggling Pen-pen. "And I have my reasons... Does this cutie have a name?" 

Before Asuka could do anything, Shinji seemed to sense his chance and almost leapt towards Nyoko in an attempt to redeem his guardian. "His name is Pen-Pen. He's a hot-springs penguin. Misato said they used to perform experiments on him at the place where she used to work. They were finished with him and they were about to put him to sleep..." 

The older girl gasped at that. "No... they were going to kill him?" 

Shinji nodded. "Yeah... but Misato took him in. She said she felt sorry for him." Asuka couldn't believe her ears... was Shinji actually putting one over this girl? Who'd believe such a fabricated sob story? Surely Nyoko was... sheist were her eyes actually misting over? She was actually buying this bunch of baloney! 

"Oh - that is just the sweetest thing! What a wonderful person!" Nyoko was practically glowing with enthusiasm. "Isn't that right Pen-pen? Yes it is!" 

"Oh come on," Asuka interrupted, unable to believe this was the same girl who had been so critical of everything a moment before. "That stupid bird isn't enough to make up for the fact she's a borderline alcoholic is it?" 

"He's not a stupid bird!" Everyone stepped back at Nyoko's vehement reply. Pen-pen - who had been entirely to close to the source of the shout for comfort - took on a slightly dazed expression, which Nyoko immediately noticed. "Look you've hurt his feelings! Oh come on Pen-pen snap out of it... here let's see if the nice Misato-lady left you some food." 

At the mention of food the penguin brightened and he gladly followed Nyoko as she wheeled herself deeper into the kitchen, leaving Asuka and the rest behind. 

"But... but..." Asuka stopped when she saw Cho ruefully shaking his head. 

"Don't even bother Red - objectivity has left the building. You'd have better luck getting an Angel a date that getting Nyoko to believe ill of someone who owns a penguin... if it had been a dog or something maybe, but not a penguin..." 

The second child ground her teeth in frustration, her fists tightly clenched at her side. Slowly, deliberately Asuka turned her smoldering blue glare on the cowering form of Shinji Ikari. As with all things that wimpy, incompetent, loser of a baka would once again get his way! 

"I hate you!" she screamed at him, before marching to her room and slamming the screen shut so hard it rebounded against the frame. Outside she heard Hikari trying to get Shinji to apologize but she tuned them out. They were traitors, all of them... especially that stupid, stupid ... maggot! 

Well... if he was going to force her to stay with him in this dump she'd make sure the Third Child regretted his decision for the rest of his very short life... If he had thought she had been mean to him _before_... the red head allowed herself a slight smile. There would be hell to pay for this afternoon... Count on it. 

* * * * * 

The first impression she got was one of dark magic - from research, Dr. Umeko Takahashi knew that the designs etched in light on both the ceiling were in actually an enlarged version of the Sephiroth Tree. Yet, to an untutored mind, it would be easy to see them as some sort of pentagram, a mystic design, ready to summon dark beasts from the netherworld into our plane of light and life. Even knowing what she did, the symbol still sent a cold shiver up her back - or maybe it was _because_ she knew what she did that the archaic symbol affected her so. Dark magic was not far off from what actually went on in this room. 

And before her was the master magician himself. 

Gendo Ikari was seated behind his imposing desk, hands clasped before the bridge of his nose in the manner Kaji had taken to calling the `Gendo Look'. For all her knowledge of the inner workings of the human mind, for the life of her Ume could not decide whether Ikari took that pose out of habit, or whether he knew the effect it had on people. Then again, Ume would be surprised to find anyone who could understand the thought of a man such as the Supreme Commander of NERV... for all she knew Ikari got a high from the smell of his own fingers... 

Beside the Commander stood the ever loyal figure of Professor Kozou Fuyutsuki. She actually knew him from the old days at the University - not that they'd had more than a passing acquaintance but she had seen enough of him to think he was a likeable man. What he had been doing, devoting the last 14 odd years to the service of the younger man beside him, was one of the mysteries she hoped to unravel now that she, as nominal head of the UN sponsored JSSDF `Keeper' Task Force, was a `part' of NERV. One of the less urgent ones, admittedly, but nonetheless important. From all that she heard, Gendo Ikari was an unpleasant bastard whose only redeeming factor was an annoying tendency to be `right'... He had to be more than just that for a man like Kozou to follow him around like a newly-born puppy, and until she understood why she would never comprehend the enigma that was Gendo Ikari. 

And if she couldn't understand Gendo, then she'd never understand what in the hell he was up to. 

"Welcome Dr. Takahashi," Commander Ikari intoned, "I trust the office accommodations we have provided you and your staff meet with your approval?" 

_How is that man able to make such a bland statement sound like a threat?_ Ume set aside her misgivings and nodded graciously. "Yes, you have my thanks Commander. We're still looking for a place to put up Cho and Nyoko since they're far from home, but as to the office spaces, they are more than adequate. We're all very grateful..." The psychologist allowed herself a small grin. "Especially Major Ryouji Kaji..." 

While the Commander merely nodded, Kozou allowed himself a smile. The expression of joy seemed somehow out of place in the dark room, but Ume welcomed it's warmth."I'm sure he is. It's good to see you again after all these years Doctor... though I admit I'm surprised that anyone would be able to drag you away from your teaching position at the University." 

Ume returned his smile while shrugging her shoulders in a resigned way. "Well, helping to prevent the end of the world does appear to be a more pressing concern at this time," she said, then decided to prod her old colleague a little. "After this business with giant monsters is over we can both return to our beloved University eh Professor?" 

At her words Kozou's head bowed slightly, his expression for a moment bearing a sad, almost wistful expression, before he met her eyes once more and forced a smile. "I...there is nothing I'd like more than that Doctor, if circumstances permit." 

Ume nodded, but within her mind she filed away the Professors expression for future reference. _So defeating all of the angels isn't the end is it? Or maybe he merely thinks we don't have a chance... regardless it's interesting to know that one of the people who knows the most about this war thinks he'll never be able to return to the life he loves_. In the meantime, the woman focused her attention back on the Professor who seemed to be trying to change the topic. 

"In any case Doctor, feel free to call upon us if there's any more assistance you require..." 

"Actually, there is _one_ thing," Ume replied, taking advantage of the opportunity. Her eyes slid from the Professor to Commander Ikari, who had been sitting silently at his table during her exchange with Kozou. _Are you watching me intently as I'm watching you Gendo? Or are you merely so confident you don't think I pose a threat..._ "I would like to request the transfer of Pilot Rei Ayanami to a more suitable place of residence." 

The doctor did not miss the swift, worried glance that Kozou sent Ikari before composing his face into a more neutral expression. The Commander however made no movement other than the slight arching of an eyebrow. 

"Indeed?" 

"I took the initiative of sending some of my staff to inspect the living quarters of the Children, and while I'm not exactly impressed with the report I got on Major Katsuragi's apartment, the one on Rei's `apartment' - and I use that word loosely - was disgraceful. I strongly recommend that she be transferred to a mo- " 

The Commander cut her off before she could finish. "Your suggestion is duly noted Doctor... And subsequently denied." 

Ume kept her face neutral as she stared hard at the Commander, trying to keep her breathing regular. She and Kaji had expected Ikari's negative response, but she had almost felt the temperature in the room drop at her mention of the First Child's name. 

"May I ask why?" 

Ikari leaned back in his chair and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "The First Child's living arrangements are none of your concern." 

"You do realize Commander, that the United Nations has placed these Children under _my_ direct authority? Therefore if I wished I - " 

"I understand that perfectly Doctor," Ikari replied, a smirk emerging on his face as Ume controlled her irritation at being interrupted yet again. "Now I wish you to understand this - you may do as you wish with the other Children, but Rei Ayanami will remain beyond your jurisdiction." 

"What then - she is to remain under your sole authority? In that decrepit hole she calls her home?" 

Gendo's smirk remained firmly in place as he replied. "I have yet to hear her complain about it Dr. Takahashi... If she did I would be more than happy to place her wherever she wished." "And if anything _that_ causes me more concern than the state of her apartment," Ume replied, but it was obvious the Commander would not back down on this issue. It was important to let him know that he was going to have a battle on his hands though - she'd leave the more subtle probing to the other members of her team. "You don't seriously think I'm going to let this go without a fight do you Ikari?" 

At that the Commander of NERV merely stood up, once more adjusting his glasses. The yellow lenses seemed to glint evilly in the light. "I am looking forward to working with you Dr. Takahashi. I believe this meeting bodes well for our future association..." 

With that obvious dismissal, Ikari turned and stalked away, exiting the room through a side door. Kozou Fuyutsuki gave her an almost apologetic shake of his head before following his Commander outside. 

_In other words, he's saying this is the most I'll ever get out of him - cooperation on his own terms, as long as I don't interfere with his plans_, Ume thought to herself as she found herself alone in the office. He was obviously playing his own hidden game in all of this, and did not seem to care much for any collateral damage he would cause on the lives of the Children as long as he succeeded. Even the First child to whom he had shown some level of attachment - even she seemed to be no more than a pawn in all this... Ume had used every scrap of influence she had to get the UN to place her in this very position, but foremost among them had been a desire to keep the Children safe. She would accomplish that mission, even in the face of such a force of nature as Gendo Ikari. 

_Well, if that was the way he wants to play it, then so be it... we'll see how well he'll do when he goes up against someone older than 14..._ 

With that the head of the Keeper Task Force left the room, a determined expression on her face. 

***** 

It was with a heavy heart that Kozou Fuyutsuki followed Ikari out of the Commander's office. It had been just like Dr. Umeko Takahashi to start an argument over the Children... Of all the people whom the UN could have tapped for the job, he could not think of anyone more suitable - and paradoxically _unsuitable_- than his old colleague. He had not known her well, but from her reputation the old man knew she was more than a bit of a firebrand, always rocking the boat for one reason or another. Of course, part of that bravery may have stemmed from being the sister of a then-up-and-coming Japanese politician... But most of it was due to her own character. And she loved children... He recalled having heard something about her own being victims of some sort of abuse - and she was never one to stay quiet when she had something to say. Not that she was ever too loud or reckless in her `crusades' - to the contrary she achieved her objectives with as much tact and subtlety as possible, using her matronly image to her advantage. Those traits, taken along with her whip sharp intelligence, made for a powerful ally... or a dangerous enemy. 

His thoughts were interrupted by Gendo. "What is your assessment of our newest `partner' Professor?" 

Kozou eyed the younger man warily. "She has always been smart... and determined. We probably haven't heard the last of this issue." 

"It is of no moment. She will not be able to hinder our plans." 

"You would be wise not to underestimate her Ikari," the older man warned. "She has many resources at her disposal... a sizeable staff, that mecha, U.N. sanction... not to mention her brother..." "Her brother is trapped in the shadow world of his own creation Fuyutsuki, and we have fended off him and his peers before. She is powerless here - I know her type well Professor. Those obsessed with the `good of the victim'... She will make no direct move to aid Rei unless Rei herself consents - and Rei does nothing without my approval." 

_You really do treat her like a doll_ Kozou thought sadly to himself. Of all the sins he had committed in his time with Ikari, few weighed more heavily upon him than Rei... grimly he pushed such thoughts aside. "And the other children?" 

The Commander shook his head slightly. "What of them? They are almost irrelevant at this point. If the good doctor thinks she can `cure' their instabilities, then she will be aiding our purpose more than harming it..." 

_Always the pawns_ the old man thought silently to himself. _What would Yui say if she knew how you would treat her son?_ Sometimes... sometimes the effort it took to believe he was doing the right thing was very, very tiring..."I only hope you know what you're doing Ikari - for all our sakes..." The Commander's initial reply was a smirk. "Have faith Professor... when have I ever been wrong?" 

With effort, Kozou bit his tongue before he could mention Yui's name... whatever his relation with Ikari, he still knew there were lines he did not cross. Besides, loath as he was to admit it, the man had a point... when push came to shove Gendo Ikari was usually right. That was what Kozou had to put his faith in - for in this endeavor, neither of them would know they were wrong until it was too late... 

"So are we going to be attending the council meeting later on tonight?" Ikari shook his head. "I have better things to do with my time. Take care of it for me Fusyutsuki." With that, the Commander took a sharp right at the next corner and walked away, leaving the Professor behind. Kozou recognized it as the path leading to Terminal Dogma. 

The old man sighed. _It never ends, does it Yui?_ With that thought he began to turn around, before he was startled by a voice coming from behind him. 

"That man never ceases to mystify," drawled Ryouji Kaji as he stepped forward from a side corridor. "One of these days you'll have to explain him to me Sub-commander." 

Kozou recovered from his shock and, after sending a stern look at the former NERV agent, began his walk towards the hangar area. "I thought you'd given up the spying game Kaji..." 

The unshaven man merely smiled innocently. "Who's spying? I merely dropped by to give you an interesting piece of news that I just recently acquired, seeing as how we're all officially on the same `side' now..." The older man threw his a skeptical look. "You don't seriously expect me to believe that do you?" 

"Now, now," Kaji chided. "Don't be that way... I just thought you and the Commander might find it interesting that SEELE has lost the Fifth Child..." 

Kozou almost jerked to a stop at his words, but he hurriedly tried to compose himself. "I don't know what you're talking about... the Fifth Child has not been found yet..." Inside however his mind was churning. The Fifth Child... there were indications he might be more than he seemed. If he was free... 

Beside him, the Major gave an amused laugh. "It's alright Sub-Commander, you don't have to keep that act up with me. I merely hope you and the Commander find this piece of information... useful." 

That said, the younger man turned around and began to walk away, whistling a jaunty tune. 

"Kaji..." Kozou called, in a low voice. "Why are you telling me this?" 

The other man stopped, then slowly turned towards the Sub-commander. "Just consider it a favor, from one seeker to another. Someday, I just might collect..." 

With that, the unshaven man turned a corner, and was gone, leaving Kozou Fuyutsuki alone with his thoughts. 

_The Fifth Child..._ 

* * * * * 

"You are troubled... What ails you?" 

Kaoru Nagisa turned slowly towards the being known as Cain. The Second Angel, currently possessing a human form... 

"Nothing Lord, a mere curiosity... I wondered what had happened to the Lilim in this place..." 

"Ah," the other replied, turning to look at the boy. They were in a service elevator, proceeding to some level of the 2^nd NERV Branch. "Their forms could not exist without a frame of reference - thus they ceased to be, as is their wont, when the passed through the void..." Kaoru nodded in understanding. Their personal ego boundaries had been unable to hold within the endless possibility that was the `Dirac Sea', and thus they had been reduced to a primordial liquid state, fusing with one another, yet still strangely alone... he turned his gray eyes towards his companion as the other spoke. 

"Do you mourn?" 

The red eyed child paused for a moment before answering. "Perhaps in a way... It was a waste of potential. The lilims... They taught me music. Those here must have had some capacity for it... Now they are gone. There is nothing left." 

As he often had in the past, the boy received a sense of amusement from Cain, though the latter's face did not change. "Child of Adam, you of all people should know that potential is never wasted - merely misplaced," the Angel continued, but his aura had become one of pain instead. "As to there being nothing... there is always something that is left Tabris. That is the tragedy of existence... but this once it may help us achieve our purpose." 

As Cain finished his words, the elevator stopped and its doors opened, revealing a massive chamber, one which was dominated by a giant figure that lay restrained on a far wall. It's flesh was a strange, sickly mixture of paleness and crimson, the color of flesh that had been beaten and bloodied. Mechanical parts were visible here and there, but most was largely submerged in the swollen flesh. It's face was horrific, like something out of a nightmare - predatory eyes staring out of deep sockets, uneven teeth stretched in a horrendous grin. At its center was a pulsating red orb. Had it not been for Kaoru's affinity with it, he would not have recognized it - as it was he was filled with a strange sense of awe. 

It was an Evangelion, totally unrestrained. 

"Yes," Cain said from beside him. "This is the instrument the Lilims have chosen for their own destruction. This is the scion of Adam, free of any artifice, fed and sustained by the life force of the lilim who created it. This is what is left Tabris... and this is what I wish you to join with in the time to come." 

Without thinking Kaoru reached out with his mind, felt his _self_ interwine with the _other_, with his brother in Adam, felt its slumber and terrible potency as he dove into its layers, searching for it's deepest core... 

_thoughts, so many, of children fathers mothers brothers sisters friends never met and enemies left unforgiven, sunny days in the desert before the rains came working for NERV striving to be a pilot balking under the rules of the parent the taste of ice cream sent of jasmine on her hair first kiss pain suffering why didn't he regrets call contentment gambling in the forgotten places of youth action joining unity the green grass of heaven's gate mourning morning death..._ 

Awakening. 

In a place both distant and immanent, the walls of NERV echoed with the sound of a heavenly roar... 


	4. The Music of Heaven

The Mark of Cain 

The Mark of Cain 

Chapter 3: The Music of Heaven 

Disclaimer: Gainax owns Eva. Me and my characters just live in their world. 

Chojiro Kaji did _ not_ like work. 

This was more than just a character trait - it was his part of his philosophy, his religion. If Cho had been meant to work, he theorized, then he wouldn't have been given the brains to weasel out of it at every opportunity. Nyoko, Ume, and even his eldest brother spent much of their time trying to convince him of the flaws in his logic - to no avail. For Cho, the matter was fairly simple - others may find fulfillment in their work, others may view it as a duty, and he had no problems with that. But as for himself, Cho had long before decided to treat work the same way most men treated death -inevitable it may be, but he'd do everything he could to delay it as long as possible. 

With that in mind, it was hardly surprising that the youngest scion of the Kaji clan gazed upon the intimidating pile of boxes and luggages with an expression of supreme distaste. 

"Tell me again," he whispered disconsolately, "what we're supposed to do with all this stuff?" 

Beside him, Kensuke Aida began to chuckle while awaiting Nyoko's answer. Seated rather smugly in her wheel chair before the two male pilots, Nyoko gave out a loud sigh as she began to explain the plan to Cho for the tenth time. "Dr. Takahashi has ordered us to new lodgings… Therefore unless we want to spend the next few months in a barren cubicle, we have to move our stuff to our new apartments as soon as possible!" 

"But we were so comfortable here at the hotel!" 

The handicapped girl, baseball cap perpetually perched upon her brown hair, scowled at her co-pilot. "Chojiro Kaji, you know as well as I do that there are more important reasons behind our move to Rei's building than mere `comfort'." 

Cho rubbed a hand across his face as he groaned, one finger absently tracing the length of his scar. Cho knew very well why they were moving next door to the apartment of the First Child. After her `meeting' with Commander Ikari, Ume had realized that all efforts to directly improve Rei's living conditions would be met with nothing more than, at best, a curt negative. Still, the official `leader' of the Keeper Task Force had evidently decided that it was their duty to somehow alleviate the effects of Rei's enforced solitude and to that effect had come up with the brilliant plan of having Cho and Nyoko move from their scrumptious rooms at the penthouse of the Tokyo-3 Regency Hotel to a building that had concrete slabs for decoration and piledriving noises for ambiance. 

"Can't we just pick her up every now and then and take her out to town?" 

"No." 

"How about we call her on the phone every hour or so to keep her company?" 

"No!" 

"How about I give Ikari a noogie until he lets her move out?" 

"Hmm… tempting but, no." 

"How about - " 

"Cho!" 

"It's no use man," Kensuke interjected laughingly, "You're just delaying the inevitable." 

"That," began Cho in a huffy voice, "is the point, Freckles." 

"Besides," the younger boy continued in a determined voice, his body almost snapping to attention. "We have been issued a mission by our Commander, and it is our duty to implement it to the letter." He said the last with particular relish, adjusting his thick glasses for effect. 

"Fine," Cho drawled, then pointed to a particularly large object amongst the pile. "You volunteering to carry Nyoko's book horde then, oh great soldier?" 

Kensuke looked at the chest high carton and blanched. "Err… We're bringing _that_? I thought it was a part of the landscape…" 

"Oh this is stupid!" Nyoko finally erupted, throwing her hands into the air. "You both know you're going to give in anyway, so why don't we just get to it instead of wasting time?" 

The two males looked at each other and gave exaggerated sighs. As Kensuke hefted a piece of luggage, Cho shuffled towards the pile and gingerly lifted a small packet of toiletries from the floor. At Nyoko's glare he sighed and bent down to pick up a large box of clothes instead. "I just don't understand why we're the one's who have to do this… What happened to all our support staff?" 

"They're all busy preparing for the Keeper test run later so it's up to us." 

Cho merely grunted as he and Kensuke made their way towards the elevator with their respective burdens in hand. Ten minutes and a lot of groaning later, they managed to put the first of their belongings in the mini-van. 

"This is going to take forever…" Cho moaned as they grudgingly made their way back up to their room. 

Kensuke seemed lost in thought for a moment, and then his eyes lit up. "Don't worry, I've got an idea…" 

*ring* 

Shinji Ikari looked up from his meal at the sound of the phone ringing; its tone all the more striking in the silence of the apartment. Standing quickly, the Third Child made his way to the phone and picked up the receiver before it finished its third ring. 

"Um, hello?" 

"Shinji!" 

It didn't take long for the boy to recognize the voice on the other line. "Kensuke," he said with a genuine smile coming to his face. "What a surprise… I thought you were on some sort of `mission' or something today…" Of course ever since the bespectacled boy had become an actual member of a military organization, everything from doing his homework to going to the bath room seemed to have become a `mission'. 

"Yup, and we need your help man. Think you can come over to the Tokyo-3 Regency and give us a hand? We just have to move some stuff from here to Cho and Nyoko's new apartment… I already called Touji and Hikari and they're on their way over… You're going to come too right?" 

Shinji blinked. Well, it wasn't like he had any plans for today… And quite frankly, anything was better than having to stay in the apartment nowadays, especially since _she_ never left it. Not that she spoke to him at all while he was there, but for Shinji the absolute silence was at times more oppressive than screaming might have been. Hatred, after all, need not be expressed in words. 

"Uh okay… I should be there in 20 minutes or so…""Great!" Kensuke enthused before Shinji could finish. Then there was a brief pause from the other line. "Er, do you think Asuka would like to come?" 

Shinji turned, almost against his will, to stare at the door to the Second Child's room. Maybe… Maybe this was the right time to talk to her… Maybe this time, when he knocked on her door, she'd actually let him speak… Maybe this would be the opportunity for them to apologize to each other, to be friends again, to get rid of all the hate… All he had to do was knock on her door… 

"Shinji? Shinji? You still there?" 

Just knock on her door…Just knock, just… 

"She doesn't want to come Kensuke." 

With that the boy slowly set the phone back down. 

It was ecstasy. 

The boy did not know how long he had been bonded with the shadow of his Father, how long he savored just the tiniest taste of total union, but whether it lasted an instant or a millennia, it was not enough. Too soon he was pulled back, back into the lilim's form which he had taken, back into a reality of yearning and hunger. He was no longer One, but Kaoru Nagisa once more, kneeling upon the umbilical bridge of Unit04's cage, coughing up dry heaves as he struggled to look up into the face of him who had so soon deprived him of his completion. A mature face, unshaven, with an aged brow framed by unruly purple hair. The face of a lilim, and not of a lilim. A red circle burned amidst the lined forehead. 

"Why?" the boy rasped, his voice suddenly a rusted tool, wishing for nothing more than to renew the bond he had shared with the spawn of Adam, with his brother in matter. 

"You were losing yourself, your soul dissolving, your boundaries bleeding into the ether." The other's voice was calm, clinical. "This is neither the time nor place for your dissolution Tabris - I will not allow it." 

Kaoru stood, swaying slightly on his feet before catching himself. It was true, her realized, he had almost been consumed by his self, by the self he would have formed with the Adam kin. And yet, that was not possible, should not have been possible - such union was only possible with the Father Himself, and not with such a pale imitation. He had synchronized with the human tools called Evangelions before, and yet he had never felt that level of rapture. 

"I was… Unprepared for the intensity of this union." The boy looked up at the monstrous face of Unit 04. It seemed different somehow; more animated, more… intelligent. "This one is different from the others, is it not?" 

Cain made no movement, but Kaoru felt his mental assent. 

"This one has in itself a human fabrication of the `Mark'. It has remained long in the Void, has been drowned in the essences of the lilim who once roamed these halls, it has been exposed to my presence for an extended period of time. All these have made it more than it was, closer to Adam." The Second Angel stopped then, and looked severely at the boy. "And yet for all that it is not Adam. Do not forget that fact, when the time comes to bond again." 

"And when will that time come?" 

The other smiled then, a human act which only accentuates the inhumanity of the will behind it. He looked upward and his black eyes seemed distant, as if gazing upon a vista far beyond the realm of sight. Suddenly. Kaoru is keenly aware of Cain's presence, not merely beside him but in the air around him, in the inner workings of his consciousness, in the very fiber of his being… It lasted for but a moment, then it passed - and thins are different. 

The form beside him suddenly crumpled, the older man falling to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been severed. After a cursory examination the boy saw that the man was still breathing, though very slightly, but the red globe which had protruded from the center of his forehead was now gone. Where just a moment before Cain's essence had been overpoweringly present - there was now a complete absence, even from the body of the purple haired lilim beside the boy. All that remained were the echoes of a thought in Kaoru's mind, a message which had been seemingly left behind… 

_Soon. Very soon._ 

It took the combined efforts of Shinji, Kensuke, Touji, Cho and Hikari a good two hours to load everything into the Mini - Van. Even with the large trunk space and after they had tied the larger boxes to the roof, there was hardly enough room for two people in the van once they were done. It was decided that Nyoko and Kensuke would take the van directly to Rei's place while the others would take public transport. By the time everyone had gathered at the apartment complex, it was already well past noon. 

"Ah," Cho breathed out, as he looked up at the seemingly derelict building. "Home sweet home…" 

Touji shook his head. "Can't believe ya ditched the Regency for an apartment like Ayanami's…" 

"Hey! When your Commanding officer asks you to jump you jump… When she asks you to move…" 

Cho interrupted Kensuke with a clout to the head. "Spare us please… It's not like you're going to be living with us here y'know." 

Hikari sighed. "Well maybe it won't be that bad, after we add a few homey touches…" 

"Does placing cork in the walls count as a homey touch?" Cho asked, wincing a bit at the pounding noise that could already be heard from the vicinity. 

Nyoko tactfully elbowed the scarred pilot in the ribs, before turning to the other children. "I really can't thank you enough for helping us out," she beamed. "Once we get settled in we'll have a little house warming party and you're all invited - all the food you can eat!" 

Touji's face suddenly lit up at her words, and his classmates shared a good laugh. 

"You just said the magic words Nyoko," Shinji grinned. "For that kind of reward, Touji'd take all these boxes up by himself!" 

This time it was Cho's face which lit up. "Really? Well in that case…" he said, pausing to slap Touji on the back before trying to walk away - only to be stopped by a sudden weight on his foot. 

"Yeow! Nyo-ko!" 

The female Keeper Pilot only smiled sweetly up at him as she rolled her wheelchair off the boy's soon-to-be-swollen foot. "And where do you think you're going?" she asked. 

"C'mon Nyoko you can't be serious," Cho whined. "The elevator here's still busted - you don't really expect me to get all this stuff up four flights of stairs do you?" 

Silence. Gazes meeting in battle. A disheartened sigh. 

Two more hours and a good deal of grunting, sweating and (in Cho's case) swearing later, the little group of six finally gathered at the fourth floor of Rei's building. The First Child herself was nowhere to be found, probably once more undergoing some sort of test at the geofront. Shinji wiped the sweat off his brow as he placed his load amongst the pile of boxes in front of apartment number 402. With Hikari's direction, the boxes had been stacked in neat columns in front of the apartment, which was right next to the First Child's unit. Cho in the meantime had just set Nyoko back down on her wheelchair after carrying her up the flight of steps. 

Kensuke was looking at his two fellow pilots with concern. "Are you guys sure you want to do this? It might be hard for you Nyoko if you have to move to and from here if Cho's not around…" 

The older girl laughed, and adjusted the cap on top of her brown locks. "Not that it wouldn't appeal to me to make Cho a beast of burden… But no, Ken, don't worry, Dr. Takahashi promised she's have some techs over to see to the elevator's repair as soon as possible." 

"Thank goodness for small blessings," Cho grumbled as he leaned against the piled boxes, causing them to wobble. "I swear you must've put on twenty pounds since our last visit…" The boxes were wobbling more freely now, though Cho couldn't feel it yet. They looked ready to fall any minute... "You haven't been doubling your meals in secret have y-" 

"Look out!" Hikari shouted in warning, but it was too late. Unbalanced by Cho's weight the piled boxes toppled as one to the ground, some of them opening and spilling their contents onto the gray floor. When it was over what had once been an orderly row of boxes had degenerated into a scene from the Second Impact, with Chojiro Kaji sprawled in the midst of it all. The boys just looked at one another and sighed, while Hikari looked like she was about to cry. Nyoko however was staring at her fallen partner with a look that could pierce an A.T. Field. 

"You… you… you…" the girl ground her teeth in annoyance, unable to adequately express her frustration. Cho took one look at her and gulped. Then, incredibly, his lips widened in a smug smile. "You know, this wouldn't have happened if you'd let me get a bite to eat first…"Nobody saw what happened next, for they all had their eyes closed. The screams of pain were enough to conjure up some fairly graphic imagery however. 

"You know, one would almost think you liked getting slapped." 

"Well Shinji," Cho began, puffing out his chest a bit. "I'm a romantic. I'm a man who believes in enduring any amount of pain to be able to feel the hands of a beautiful woman upon my skin…" 

"That's not romantic," the younger boy pointed out. "That's perverted." 

"Well yeah… But it sounds better when you call it `romantic'. 

The two boys were leaning against the rail, right outside the new apartment, taking a well deserved rest from the morning's exertions. Both had cold drinks in their hands, though Shinji could see that Cho's was of the alcoholic kind. Well, at least the older boy wasn't guzzling them down like Misato would… Then again Nyoko would probably have his head if he did. The handicapped girl seemed to keep a close eye on the younger Kaji… 

"Is Nyoko speaking to you yet?" Shinji asked in curiosity. "She seemed pretty angry…" 

"Oh yes," the scarred pilot replied with a chuckle. "She was furious… But we're ok now. People just can't seem to stay angry with me for an extended period of time… Must be my cologne…" 

The young Ikari sighed deeply. "I envy you… I wish I had the same effect on people…" 

Cho raised an eyebrow at that. "What's the matter? Someone holding a grudge against you Shinji-kun?" 

"You… You could say that I suppose…" 

"Anybody I know?" 

Shinji turned away. He felt remarkably at ease with Cho considering the short amount of time they had known each other. Maybe it was just that in some ways, Cho had a lot in common with his elder brother, Kaji, who was one of the few people Shinji actually felt he could talk to when he needed advice. Still… It wasn't easy to talk about Asuka… 

Shinji realized the other boy was staring at him expectantly. "It's… it's nobody really," he finally said. "It's nothing…" 

The other looked like he was about to say something , but then just shook his head. "Your call Shinji… I won't force it out of you. But if you don't mind some unsolicited advice: Do something for her, something that she likes. Sometimes it's not enough to apologize straight away - with women; you have to soften their hearts a little first. I'm sure you can think of something that you've done before that had a positive impact on her - something that made her smile or laugh or clap her hands with joy… And after you've gotten her to listen to you without murdering you, _then_ you can move over to the apology." 

The Third Child remained silent as he pondered his companion's words. Then suddenly, Shinji blinked. 

"Wait a minute… I never said I was talking about a girl." 

At that the Keeper Pilot let out a hearty laugh. "Shinji… It's _always_ about a girl…" 

With that tidbit of male wisdom hanging in the air between them, Cho walked back into the apartment, leaving Shinji alone with his problems… and a possible resolution. 

In the foreboding darkness of a room within the deepest recesses of NERV, two men clashed over a board of black and white. With pieces of wood, strategies are put to the test, while with their words they discuss the status of another contest… One waged against fate itself. 

"So… SEELE has lost the Fifth?" 

Black Pawn to King's Bishop three. 

"That is what Kaji told me… While I see little reason to trust him, the fact that he even knew of the Fifth inclines me to give him the benefit of the doubt this time." 

White Rook to Queen's Knight five. Black Knight captured. 

"Indeed." Gendo Ikari adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. "This is an intriguing development… It will be amusing to see how the Old Men react to this divergence in their scenario." 

Queen to Queen's Bishop seven. 

Kozou Fuyutsuki snorted. "As if our own scenario were going according to plan… I am telling you that the presence of Kaji, Dr. Takahashi and this `Keeper' mechanoid are a potentially large problem." 

White Queen to Queen's Knight four. 

NERV's Commander smirked. "So they would like to think. There are no problems, merely opportunities. As long as we keep that in mind we can turn this situation to our advantage… Remember, what separates us from Kihl and his lot is that _we_ can adapt. They cannot." 

Black Bishop to King's Knight six. Check. 

"I am warning you Ikari, I have no idea how much of the truth they already know. If certain facts were to be known to the public, or even to the Children before it is time, I can assure you that no amount of `adapting' will save us then." 

White King to King's Bishop one. 

"The problem with the truth Fuyutsuki, is the more you learn of it, the less able you are to see things in black and white - and thus the more difficult it is to make sure you're doing the `right' thing. For people concerned with such moral quibbles, such complexity can be… paralyzing. And in this game, you cannot win unless you move with certainty." 

Black Bishop to King's Knight six. 

Checkmate. 

_Something she likes, something she likes… If only it were that easy!_ 

As the elevator doors opened and deposited him on the floor of the their apartment, Shinji Ikari couldn't help but curse Cho for making the whole thing sound so simple. Maybe if it were some other person, it would be… But this was Asuka! Aside from the perverse pleasure she probably received from making his life miserable, he really couldn't think of anything he'd done that had pleased her. Even when he saved her life she'd ended up just disliking him more - as if he had done it to show off! 

As his heavy steps carried him closer and closer to a home he had begun to dread, Shinji combed through his memories for something - anything - that he could do to get Asuka in the mood to at least speak to him. She used to like it when he'd cook something special for her. He could whip up some German food for her, but he had no idea how to make one of the fancier German meals, and he doubted she'd be much impressed with a frankfurter. Besides, they both had to be present at the Keeper field test later on, so he just didn't have the time. Shinji walked a bit further down memory lane… There was that kiss - hurriedly Shinji swept that memory aside, into a locked safe and swallowed the key. He did _not_ want to think about that stupid kiss… She'd kill him before he got close enough to try anything … And besides, it's not as if she had liked it the first time anyway… 

Finally, just as he was about to reach the door, he stumbled upon a memory that just might help. It was something which he felt he could do, and which didn't actually require him to be close to her when he attempted it. 

As he unlocked the door and stepped inside, for the first time in days he felt a faint swelling of hope in his heart, although it was almost drowned out by anxiety. Silently, he faced the door which he had been so terrified to approach that morning. He had no idea if this was going to work… But this time he wouldn't run away. He had to try. 

Blood. She smelled like blood. She'd been trying to ignore it the entire day… She didn't know if she did it in the hope that by some miracle it would go away, or because it was her way of rebelling against an enforced biology. Whatever her motivation was, it wasn't enough to overcome the discomfort she was feeling -and the level of annoyance that rose along with it. 

_I hate this! Why do _I_ have to have periods anyway? It's not even as if I want to have children…_ 

Asuka growled as she turned over in her bed, seeking the oblivion of sleep. The day had not gone well for the Second Child. In the morning, while the other Children had been busy helping Cho and Nyoko, Asuka and Rei had been summoned to the geofront for some synchronization tests. To her horror she had discovered that her synch ratio had suffered an even greater drop - she was now barely above the minimum level! She… She'd even lost out to that bitch Rei! How the hell could _Wondergirl_ have beaten her?!? The doll had even tried to give her advice afterwards - _her_ the great Asuka Langley Sohryu! She'd stormed out of headquarters as soon as she was able - she knew that she'd have to return later on for the field test of that clunky Keeper robot, but the longer she could avoid being in the presence of those idiots, the better. 

So caught up was she in her own thoughts that she completely missed the sounds of Shinji's entry in the apartment. She remained blissfully ignorant of the outside world for a few moments more… Before the sound of music began to seep into her room from beyond. A cello, she recognized instantly. His cello. The music soared around her, seemingly possessed by the will of its creator, slow and melancholy, yet at the same time hopeful… questioning. For a moment, Asuka closed her eyes, and she could almost see the notes, almost taste them on the tip of her tongue - they were bitter, but filling. Slowly, subtly, the tension that had filled her slowly left her body, leaving only a dull ache behind. Against her will, Asuka began to feel the beginnings of tears welling up in her eyes… 

She wasn't conscious of standing, of padding barefoot to the door of her room and sliding it open. One instant she was on her bed, the next she was standing before him. His eyes were closed, his face averted from her own, yet she knew that he knew she was there. Still, his hands did not cease their movements, one gripping the bow, gliding over the instrument in a complex, yet continuos motion, while the other danced with a life of it's own, applying pressure to first this string, then another. The music rose and fell at his direction, and it carried on it's wings Asuka's fragile emotions. 

He was good. He was very good. 

The Second Child felt a spark flare up in her heart. 

He was _always_ good… Good at everything… So good that he was better than _her_… Always better than her. Better at synchronizing with the Eva's. Better at killing the Angels. Better at cooking, at kanji, at playing a godamn instrument - ! 

The spark was a flame now; a fire that consumed all shred of peace and affection. He was _always_ trying to show her up! Who the hell did he think he was? He was a nothing! A loser! But then why did everything seem to go his way? Why the hell should _he_ be better? _He_ hadn't had to go through what she went through, _he_ didn't have to concentrate to get a high synch ratio, _he_ didn't have to menstruate… He had _everything_ and because of him, she… She had nothing. Nothing! 

By now, rage had exploded in her heart - but what happened next surprised even Asuka. Maybe if she hadn't had such a low synch ratio that morning she wouldn't have done it. Maybe if it hadn't been her time of the month she would have acted differently. Maybe if she had stopped to pause for even one second, she would have been able to restrain herself... 

Without a word, with a face that seemed locked in a rictus of hatred, the Second Child's foot came down hard on the fragile wooden cello. 

The crack of splintering wood filled the corridor as her heel broke through the instruments body. Strings recoiled painfully, whiplike and quick around both her leg and Shinji's hand as they were freed from their bindings, raising distorted twangs as their death cry. Before her, Shinji stared up at Asuka with wide, unbelieving eyes. For a moment, the bow continued mechanically along it's course, eliciting nothing more than a poignant absence of sound, a silence akin to a child's bereaved cry. Their gazes locked for an instant, and for one second, Asuka caught a glimpse of the magnitude of her crime, of a pain that matched even her own. Then, it was gone as the boy himself fled blindly from the room, his receding form issuing forth haggard sobs that only stopped as the door slammed shut behind him. 

In the wake of his departure, the great Asuka Langley Sohryu stood with one foot imbedded in an instrument of music, and realized she had never despised herself so much in her life. 

Misato Katsuragi was in a bad mood. 

She had probably caught it from her room mates… Heaven knows both Asuka and Shinji had been anything but cheery company for the last few days. Shinji's condition was actually understandable - after all it seemed as if Asuka had made it her life's work to make him suffer as much as possible, and not in the mischievous, playful way she used to do it before… The redhead's own problems were a bit more complicated: yes, her low synch ratio was probably a key contributor to her current bitchiness, but then at the same time it was that pig-headed anger that was keeping her from raising her test scores in the fist place! Unfortunately both had seemed even worse than ever today… As for Misato herself, beyond having to worry about the condition of her two charges, well… There was the matter of s certain Ryouji Kaji… 

_No. Will-not-think-about-lousy-two-faced-insensitive-jerk-who-sleeps-with-me-then-goes-of-to-spy-for- 

rival-organization-while-leaving-me-when-I-could-really-really-have-used-the-company-and-_ 

"Major? Are you alright?" Makoto asked in concern after seeing his superior clout herself on the head for the third time today. 

Misato affected an air of calm assurance. "Nothing to worry about Lieutenant Hyuuga. Carry on." After he looked away, she surreptitiously rubbed the back of her head. 

_Ow. That one had hurt. Stupid Kaji…_ She turned to her right where the perpetually unshaven man was standing in a dishelved mockery of her own uniform, one hand thrust in his pocket while the other hand stroked his chin. 

"Your eyes are going to get crossed if you keep on staring at me so hard Katsuragi," Kaji said before turning and giving her his smoothest grin. 

"Oh, shut your mouth!" 

The purple locked woman harrumphed and once more turned her attention to the large monitor before her. The scene before her was on the outskirts of the city, the farthest quadrant which still possessed a power facility for the Eva's umbilical cord. To the right of the screen, next to one of the horizontal mag-lev tracks that transported the Eva's, stood Eva Unit 02, while on the opposite side of the screen, Unit 00 had just walked in to view. Both were there to insure that if anything went wrong with today's test, the Children would be ready to keep it from getting out of hand. 

The star of today's show however, still stood in a specially modified cage within NERV headquarters. The cage had been drained of the fluid which surrounded the Eva's almost constantly while they were docked. In place of the Evangelions however was a different form, a `mechanoid' in the truer sense of the word than the mysterious Eva's, but one which was no less impressive for it's comprehensibility. The JSSDF and the Japanese government had spent a great deal of money and a great deal of time making sure that the Keeper was a viable alternative to the Evangelion's, and, physically at least, that effort showed. 

From beside her Ritsuko made an appreciative noise. "Not bad looking is it?" 

"Why thank you Rits-chan," Kaji replied grinning. "I think you're quite stunning today as well." 

Misato gave him a withering look before turning back to the screen. "I dunno… A green and maroon color scheme doesn't really do wonders for it." 

"I'll certainly keep that in mind the next time I design a mechanical engine of destruction," Kaji commented wryly. 

The Keeper was not quite as tall as the Evangelion's, but the height difference was not significant. The Keeper actually seemed to have more mass, bulkier in places than the streamlined forms of the Eva's, but nonetheless remaining human in appearance. According to the dossier Misato had acquired, the Keeper had been designed primarily for close range combat, much like its NERV predecessor. The three pairs of limbs which festooned the mech's torso seemed to bear witness to this function, as did the rather hammer-like shape of it's head, which could evidently be used as an offensive weapon. Unit01 had a `horn' of sorts, but she'd never seen Shinji use it as a weapon… 

Thoughts of the Third Child caused Misato's attention to drift to another monitor, one which displayed the caged form of Unit01. The Eva had been placed in cryostasis upon orders of Commander Ikari ever since the incident with the fourteenth Angel, but they still needed Shinji in the entry plug and ready to move in case of an emergency. Shinji hadn't been present when Misato had passed by the apartment to pick up the kids, and asking Asuka about his whereabouts had just led to another argument. To her surprise she had discovered when she had arrived that he had been at the geofront hours earlier, and had gone into Unit01 even before being asked. 

"Hyuuga," she asked. "Call up an interior shot of Unit01's entry plug will you?" 

In a few seconds Shinji appeared on the monitor, head bowed, hands gripping the sides of his seat tightly. The Major frowned in concern. 

"Shinji," she called out, knowing that the comm was set on an open frequency at this point. "You ok in there?" 

A mumbled response. A slight movement. 

"Shinji-kun?" 

"… I'm fine Misato." 

Oo-kay, she knew _that_ tone of voice. Something was definitely up… Maybe it had something to do with Asuka's mood as well… Aside from their argument about Shinji's whereabouts, the Second Child had seemed remarkably subdued during the trip to the base, as if something weighed heavily on her mind. Still, whatever the problem was, there was no way she could deal with it now. It would have to wait until the field test was over and she could speak to him in private. 

Misato turned to her erstwhile co-operations director. "So are we starting this demo or what? We don't have all day Major Kaji…" 

Before Kaji could answer a voice from above interrupted. "Don't worry Major Katsuragi," said Ume Takahashi. She was standing atop the command deck with Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki, flanking the seated form of Commander Ikari. "We're just waiting for our chief engineer to arrive before we begin… He should be along shortly." 

As if on cue the bridge's lower access door opened to admit a well dressed man with impeccable grooming and a vaguely familiar face. Misato found herself staring at him openly, trying to jostle her brain into placing his face, but for the life of her she couldn't remember. It was only when Ritsuko let out a somewhat sarcastic greeting that everything finally clicked into place. 

"Well, well… Mr. Terajima. What a surprise to see you again…" 

Now she remembered… Denbe Terajima had been the Chief of Research for Nippon Heavy Industry Solidarity, the mega-corporation that had manufactured the Jet - Alone robot. She and Ritsuko had met him during the disastrous exhibition of that self-same mecha and it had only been through NERV's intervention that a complete and utter disaster had been averted. She remembered that she had found him to be insufferably arrogant at the time - although she had to admit that he had proved to be a decent human being at the end of it all, helping her destroy what must have been his life's work in order to prevent a possible nuclear meltdown. From the little she had heard of the aftermath of that debacle, Terajima had lost his job and NHIS went under massive restructuring, finally being procured by one of it's larger rivals. The effects of that experience showed vividly in the changes it had wrought in the man before her… Gone was the smug smile from memory, replaced by a perpetually nervous looking expression. Misato found that she couldn't help but pity the poor man. 

"May I introduce the Keeper's chief engineer Mr. Denbe Terajima. Dr. Akagi, Major Katsuragi… I believe you've already met our Denbe." 

Terajima almost flinched away from Ritsuko as she nodded towards him, an ironic smile on her lips. The man seemed to relax a little as Misato stepped towards him and extended her hand. His grip was feeble, but at least he hadn't treated her as if she was going to eat him. The nervous engineer even managed a small smile. 

"It is… A pleasure to see you again. Major. I never did get to thank you properly about… About last time." 

Misato could see that even discussing the incident was causing the man great anxiety so she hurriedly waved it away. "Oh, think nothing of it, could've happened to anyone. I'm glad we're all on the same side now…" Inwardly she wasn't so sure though. Terajima looked like he'd crack under the slightest pressure. 

At that point, Kaji stepped up and placed an arm around the smaller man. "Alright then, now that Denbe's here we can begin the show." He turned towards the Commanders. "Unless there are any objections?" 

Commander Ikari gave the slightest of nods. "Proceed." 

"With pleasure," the former spy turned back to the screen and opened the communications channel. "Ready for action children?" Simultaneously three small windows popped up on screen, each bearing a different image. 

"Yes sir!" Kensuke squeaked, his voice almost comically high in its excitement. 

"We won't disappoint you Major," replied Nyoko with a wide smile. 

"This thing needs pillows," yawned Cho, but then he grinned and gave a thumbs - up. 

"Keeper launch!" 

_I can't believe it, I can't believe it! I'm really going to do it!_ 

Seated as he was at the Sensory console of the Keeper's cockpit, Kensuke Aida could hardly keep from bursting with excitement. All his life… All his life he'd dreamed of this day, the day when he'd be at the helm of a massive instrument of technological might, off to save the world from horrible, powerful enemies. Of course in his manga-inspired fantasies, he'd been the only male pilot surrounded by female helpers (as well as about 2 feet taller and 60 pounds chunkier) but he sure wasn't going to complain. "Nervous Ken-kun?" Nyoko asked, as she smiled towards the younger boy. 

"Who me? You've got to be kidding!" Kensuke jerked up and responded quickly. "This is like, a dream come true! It's like I've died and gone to heaven… This is just so _cool_!" 

Cho laughed. "You've got a weird definition of heaven Freckles… I mean, where are all the pretty girls?"From where she was seated at the Shield console, Nyoko cleared her throat meaningfully. The younger Kaji glanced at her, then away again. 

"I stand by my previous statement," the scarred boy said with a grin. 

"You're going to pay for that once you step out of your little bubble Chojiro Kaji," the girl warned, gesturing towards the transparent plastic globe that encased Cho's form. 

The Keeper was not operated via mental synchronization, unlike the Eva's. Instead, the Keeper's bodily actions were controlled via a MMS (Movement Mimic System) that allowed the mecha's servo-muscles to approximate the motions of a pilot. In this case, that pilot was Cho, and thus he was currently `standing' in the center of that protective plastic `bubble', suspended in the air via data cables attached to his zip suit, which aside from keeping his body in an approximation of the Keeper's position also served to monitor his every movement. Right now, the older boy was keeping very still, arms pinned to his sides as the Keeper was launched to the surface via one of the Eva's many access tunnels. In truth, Kensuke was rather surprised at the amount of professionalism Cho was showing… It must be stressful to realize that that your slightest twitch could cause tremendous collateral damage. It must take a lot of physical discipline… 

"Major Kaji sir!" Cho called out suddenly. "Permission to scratch my left buttock sir!" 

Kensuke sweatdropped. Verbal discipline it seemed, was another matter… Scattered laughter could be heard over the audio feed before the image of a mildly irate Major Ryouji Kaji popped up on their respective view screens. 

"Little brother, times like this make me glad that none of the Keeper's parts are attached to your jaw muscles…" 

A few seconds later the cockpit was flooded with the late afternoon sunlight as the mecha emerged from the tunnel and unto the surface. They continued on, the Keeper travelling horizontally upon the rails, until finally they reached their destination at the outskirts of the Megatropolis. Almost before they had come to a stop a tiny image of Asuka blinked open on their monitors. 

"Well, _finally_," snapped the red head. "So glad to see you decided to join us." 

"I can see that _she's_ going to be an entertaining teammate," Cho muttered. 

"Don't be that way," Kensuke deadpanned. "Being picked on by Asuka can be very educational. Now I'm tri-lingual when it comes to curse words!." 

Asuka developed a tic in her left eye at that point, but rather than continue (or `escalate' in Asuka's terms) the argument, the Second Child merely cut the connection abruptly. 

Kensuke blinked. "Well, she's in a bad mood…" 

"Alright, enough sniping children," Misato's image and voice this time, looking slightly piqued. "Let's get this show on the road." 

"Your wish is my command Misato-chan," as Cho spoke, a visor descended from the top of the `bubble' and settled before his eyes. Two nodes emerged from the sides of the visor and attached themselves to a device that Cho had earlier inserted into his ears. 

The voice of Engineer Terajima could be heard over the comm, although the image was still that of Misato-san. He seemed to be explaining the process for the benefit of the NERV staff. "The visor provides a more scale-accurate view of the environment for the pilot in the Soul module of the cockpit. Aside from connections to the pilots muscle groups, the Keeper also has a neurological connection to the inner ear of the `Soul' in order to make use of a human beings natural balance compensator. Of course for these reasons, it is important for the `Soul' to be an individual of impressive physical capabilities." 

"Oh no need to thank me," Cho interrupted with a grin. "Just a humble boy, doing his job for the nation. Send all compensation in the form of pretty, willing women." As he spoke he moved his right hand outwards as if gripping something, the data wires pulling taunt where the Keeper's hands encountered an obstacle. With slow grace, Cho raised `himself' up from his prone position, with the `bubble' rotating him to match the change in the mecha's posture. Kensuke turned to one of his monitors, which showed a wireframe model of the mecha, and he marveled at how exactly it mimicked Cho's movements. In seconds the robot was upright. 

"Nicely done Cho!" Kaji exclaimed as his image popped into view again. The small figure of Misato seemed to glare at someone to her left before also giving the pilots a thumbs-up sign. 

A slightly less appreciative face was next to appear. 

"What?!? All he did was stand up! What's so impressive with that?" 

"Down Asuka," Kaji replied, his smile softening somewhat the admonition. "Moving as if you were several hundred times taller than you actually are is no small feat." 

Asuka subsided with a small growl and Kensuke heaved a sigh of relief. Although he'd rather have someone like Misato giving him orders, he was glad Mr. Kaji was their tactical commander - if for no other reason than the man seemed to be the only one on the planet who could keep Asuka in line. Still, he didn't like the way Unit 02 was fingering that progressive axe… 

"Alright pilots," Kaji continued. "Show time." 

~IT IS TIME~ 

Kaoru opened his eyes. The body which Cain had abandoned was still lying inert at the boy's side, yet once more he felt the overpowering presence of the Second Angel. Cain was almost a physical weight upon the boy's skin, a tangible pressure at the edges of his consciousness, a sea which enfolded Kaoru's being. 

"Where… are you?" It was difficult for the boy to concentrate. Difficult for him to remember to breathe. 

~IT IS TIME FOR ANOTHER TO BE BORN. ANOTHER INFINITE BECOME LIMITED. ONCE MORE WILL THE ETERNAL BE CORRUPTED BY TIME AND SPACE. YOU WILL STAND WITNESS TABRIS… FOR BEFORE ALL RETURNS TO NOTHING THERE IS STILL A POINT IN MEMORY~ 

Kaoru struggled to move, but he found himself suddenly on his knees, upon the cold metal floor. The last time he had been exposed to the pure, unsullied presence of Cain, he had been travelling upon the Dirac Sea, unlimited by his fleshy body. Now, encased once more, the touch of the Second Angel was more than he could bear. 

"I… am too weak Lord," he whispers. "I cannot move…" 

~JOIN WITH THE SHADOW OF ADAM. GAIN STRENGTH FROM THAT WHICH ALMOST COMPLETES YOU. THEN COME TO ME… COME TO THE VOID~ 

Red eyes burning brightly in the near darkness, Kaoru raised his hand towards the form that had been Evangelion Unit04. He found himself floating upwards, whether by his will or the other's he could not tell, until his fingers were almost touching it's pulsating red core. With a smile of ecstasy the boy stretched his hand towards the beating heart of his Father's shadow, pressing it down into the crimson mass… 

A moment later, there was only one where there had been two… 

"One more time guys, and we'll move on to the next stage," Kaji called out. 

"Please do," was Cho's curt reply. Misato could see the younger Kaji scowling at the monitor. "I did enough work this morning thanks very much." 

For the first few minutes, the trial had consisted mainly of movement drills… Get from point A to point B walking, get from B to C running, do a running jump over the copse of trees at point D. Kensuke was in charge of finding the coordinates fed to them and giving Cho the necessary instructions, while the girl, Nyoko contented herself with keeping an eye on the mecha's internal readings… As the pilot in charge of the defense of the mecha, the girl did not have much to do until there was an actual threat. Misato hoped she wouldn't have to see what Nyoko could do for a long time… But she knew the chances of that happening were slim. 

The mecha was currently running easily over a stretch of hillside, it's two primary arms swinging freely at its side while the remaining four were crossed over chest and back. Maya's report of the test readings were punctuated regularly with Kensuke's whoops of joy. 

"600 kph and counting sir," Maya intoned. "It's speed matches up fairly well with that of the Eva's." 

Kensuke greeted the announcement with another explosion of enthusiasm. "Woo-hoo! Did you hear that Asuka? The Eva's aren't the only game in town anymore!" 

An irate Second Child immediately replied. "In your dreams stooge! My Unit02 is faster than your rust bucket any day!" 

"Actually," Terajima interjected. "The speed that the Keeper is capable of is far below that achieved by Unit 01 against the Tenth Angel. The mecha is outfitted with boosters for use with for short term flights - more like jumps really - and these can be used to increase the movement speed but at that point it becomes difficult to maneuver and control." 

Controlling Unit04 was entirely different from the previous times Kaoru had synchronized with an Eva. When they had been using him as test pilot for the Production models, the Eva had always been external to him, something which he could manipulate with ease, but something which at the same time was no more a part of him than a jacket. 

This time however, immersed in the core of the Evangelion, Kaoru felt no distinction between himself and the Unit. He was aware of a peculiar doubling of his sensations… He saw the redness that engulfed him, and yet at the same time, he saw the mecha cage from the vantage point of the towering Evangelion. He felt the core's matter molded to his body and simultaneously felt the restraints biting in to `his' shoulders. He raised his head and felt the red material shift away - but he also felt resistance from the steel wall behind him. For the first time Kaoru was not merely controlling the Eva - he _was_ the Eva. 

He/it broke away from the restraints with ease, and with swift, graceful movements he/it ascended the Eva launch shaft towards the outside. The shaft's end stood open, revealing the nothingness beyond, but one which exerted no pull on the air within the building, one which created no vacuum. This void was not the void of space, but that of pure potentiality… It required nothing to fill itself. 

Kaoru/Eva emerged into the void and proceeded onward, neither floating nor walking, but simply moving swiftly in its intended direction. He/It could feel the presence of Cain more strongly now, and yet it was less of a weight… Now it was more of a calling, a deep, rhythmic music to the senses. He/It felt it everywhere, but nonetheless he/it knew exactly when to stop, when it was that he was at the apex of Cain's consciousness. 

It is there that Cain spoke. In words. Feelings. Images. 

~THE LILIM ARE INTRUIGING BEINGS. SPAWNS THEY ARE OF LILITH, YET THEY SEEM EQUALLY TO BELONG TO ADAM, PERHAPS EVEN TO MYSELF.~ 

Art on a cave wall. The feel of dried parchment. Laughter. Creatures vanishing into a womb of white. 

~THEY CONSTANTLY PUSH BACK THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT IS CREATED AND WHAT IS LEFT UNDONE, WHAT IS AND WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN. AS IF WITH THE MULTITUDE OF THEIR FINITE LIVES THEY SEEK TO EXHAUST INFINITY.~ 

Birth. Death. Sweet melodies. Steel girders. Watercolor. Evangelions. Death. Birth. 

~YET THOUGH THEY ARE DOOMED TO FAILURE THEY PERSIST IN CLINGING TO A WOUNDED EXISTENCE. I WOULD KNOW WHY THEY DO REBEL AGAINST THE NATURAL ORDER, WHY ONLY A FEW SEEK THE PEACE OF OBLIVION.~ 

Scent of blood. Man yet machine. Covenant unbroken. White Flowers. Beat of a heart. Horned Baron. 

~I WOULD KNOW MAN~ 

The music swells. The song of creation, melancholy and exultant. A bright light. 

Twin gouts of flame lit the sky as the Keeper's boosters were initialized. At first, the mecha almost stumbled but Cho compensated quickly and the robot rushed forth with an astonishing burst of speed, in a more or less straight line, before slowing down to a walk. 

Ritsuko was tapping a finger thoughtfully against her cheek. "What worries me isn't the speed, but the reaction time - your Keeper doesn't make use of a Mind to Mind interface like the Eva's - the transition time between the pilots movements and the mecha's might prove to be a serious disadvantage." 

Terajima winced at the criticism but responded quickly. "We've taken pains to make the data transfer as efficient as possible... The lapse is at less than 3/10's of a second now, and we're working hard to decrease that figure." 

"Don't the extra limbs throw off the balance?" Misato commented. "It's not like Cho'd be used to running with the weight of six arms…" 

"Some of the MMS cables double as counter weights to that effect. Still, the secondary and tertiary limbs are kept close to the chest when not needed - also acting as an extra layer of protection for vital parts." 

"So how does Cho control the arms then?" 

"He doesn't," this time it was Kaji who answered. "Allow me to show you." 

At Kaji's order the Keeper came to a standstill, and a larger image of the cockpits interior was superimposed over the screen. The cockpit was much larger than an Eva's entry plug, seeing as it had to accommodate three pilots, as well as giving Cho enough room to maneuver. Cho's `bubble', or the `Soul Globe' as Terajima insisted on calling it, was situated in the middle with the two other pilots having expansive consoles to his left and right. Kaji pointed a finger towards a pair of mechanical casts that were attached to the chairs of both Kensuke and Nyoko. 

"The `sleeves' there are the means for control of the extra limbs, still using the MMS. This way, each pilot can control one set of arms, although admittedly, at that point they would be neglecting their other functions," the unshaven man explained, before addressing the pilots once more. 

"Shield, initiate Secondary Limbs." 

At his command Nyoko obediently placed her arms into the metal sheathes. Immediately the Keeper's middle pair of arms stretched themselves out into an approximation of Nyoko's limbs. 

"The Secondary Limbs are basically the same in structure as the Primary ones. The Tertiaries are slightly different however… Sense, initiate." 

With an enthusiastic "Yes sir!", Kensuke enclosed his own arms in the sheaths. The Keeper's third pair of arms were smaller in comparison to the first two, and leaner as well, less equipped with artificial musculature. The left arm had a small, claw-like hand while the other terminated in what appeared to be the muzzle of a projectile weapon. 

"The third pair of limbs were meant for specialized operations rather than for punching or grasping. The `hands' can be replaced with any number of attachments, from weapons to sensors, you name it." 

Misato found herself nodding with grudging admiration. It seemed that Terajima and whoever had designed the Keeper had put a lot of thought into it. Still, there was one glaring deficiency. 

"All this is very nice Kaji-san," she remarked, gesturing towards the on-screen mecha. "But all that weaponry and innovation won't matter very much against an A.T. Field. How were you planning on dealing with _that_?" 

The former spy gave her his most disarming smile. "Well honestly I was planning on the _Eva's_ dealing with the A.T. Field. The Keeper possesses no weaponry with enough power to pierce an that particular defense… That's one of the reasons the JSSDF initially resisted the U.N.'s order to place the Keeper in active service. But since we're here, we can be an able back-up… If for instance it took all three Evangelions to neutralize an Angel's A.T. Field, then the Keeper would be just the card to tip the scales eh?" 

Something in the way he answered her made Misato very suspicious. The answers were too pat, too simplistic… She could hardly see the JSSDF spending billions on a machine that they believed had no chance of penetrating the enemies first line of defense. From Kaji's words it seemed that they had outfitted the Keeper without a single weapon even _theoretically_ capable of breaching the Absolute Terror Field… Kaji's answers almost seemed designed to convince them that the Keeper would be no match against an Angel alone… Or against an Eva. 

Misato's eyes narrowed, and she looked from Kaji to the command platform where Gendo Ikari watched the trial impassively. Just _who_ was Kaji trying to convince that the Keeper was harmless? She'd get a straight answer out of him if she had to shake it out of his unshaven, sloppy face… 

It was at that moment that the alarms began to sound. 

The sounds of birth burned into his eyes. The light of creation sang into his ears. 

Without explanation, Kaoru/Eva's sensed what was happening. He/It could feel it, a part of the ethereal and eternal falling into reality, falling into space and time. Every thing that is born is at the same moment both joyful and saddened: It is joyful because where once there was nothing, _something_ now exists. It is saddened because it is now forever _this_ and not _that_, forever defined by what it isn't, and what it cannot be. 

It was an experience beyond words. Thought vanished from his/it mind. All that is left is to bear witness. 

_So *this* is how an Angel is meant to be born_ 

When Kaoru/Eva's senses returned, what met his sight was an expanse of cold whiteness, and glaring beauty. It looked like a work of art, a fantastic winged creature carved in glass or crystal, shimmering with an inner light. It was pure in its luminous radiance - save from beneath. There the Mark of Cain, the horned circle, splashed the void with a harsh crimson, like a bloody splotch on a sculpture of ice. A second later, the horns vanished, leaving the circle behind, a globe of red which the Lilims called a `core'. It was then that Cain spoke. 

~I AM~ 

Kaoru/Eva gazed upon the form of his brother. ~You are. And yet you are not. Have all the others merely been extensions of you, Lord?~ 

~I AM THEY AND THEY ARE I. WE EXIST TOGETHER, YET THEY DID NOT EXIST BEFORE I FORMED THEM FROM THE CORPSE OF ADAM. THE SEVENTEEN ARE A LILIM INVENTION. THERE WERE ONLY THREE, AND NOW THERE IS YOU, AND ONE OTHER. YET WILL I ADHERE TO THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE LILIM. FOR I AM PATIENT AND BEYOND TIME. TIME YET TO BEAR WITNESS TO MAN BEFORE ALL BECOMES VOID.~ 

Kaoru/Eva felt a rippling in the void, a shift. The blackness filled with pinprints of light, with the airless frost of another `void'. 

They were elsewhere. 

Kaoru/Eva reached out, and brought himself/itself unto the Angel's `back' before the null-gravity could bear him away. Below him/it was the soft blue glow of the mother planet, framed against the contrasting light and darkness of space - seemingly the only complexity amidst a canvass of black and white. 

~TOGETHER WE SHALL KNOW MAN~ 

"I don't _know_ where it came from!" Hyuuga exclaimed, eyes daring back and forth between different streams of data. "It just popped out of nowhere!" 

"Give me a visual!" Misato ordered. Everywhere the bridge was bustling in frantic activity… The detection of the immense object above the atmosphere had sent everyone into motion. Kaji was shouting orders for the both Keeper and Eva pilots to stand-ready for an attack. Above them, Fuyutsuki was conferring with Dr. Takahashi while the Commander continued to merely watch the fray. Gendo Ikari silently adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. Maybe it was just the light, but the Commander even seemed to have a small smile on his face. 

_Damnit!_ thought Misato to herself. _Is there *nothing* this man doesn't anticipate?_ Her attention refocused itself when a new image arrived on screen. It was… She couldn't quite describe it. A magical symbol. A white spacecraft. A headless albatross of light. 

"The MAGI confirm… It's a Blue Pattern." Maya looked at the screen with apprehension. 

Shigeru took a deep breath. "It's them again alright…"The Fifteenth Angel had arrived. 

Author Notes: Yes I know I promised that things would pick up a bit in this chapter and well, they did - a bit at least :) But Chapter 4 required this entire Chapter as a set-up so I decided to end the chapter here rather than mid-battle. And a battle it is going to be - all of Chapter 4 will be a fight with the 15th Angel - and when I mean fight, I mean FIGHT ^_^. For after all let's not forget that the Angel has a little 'monkey' on its back... Watch out for a finale to Arael that has never been done before. :)Thanx again to Daniel Snyder, Myssa Rei and Taryn Kimel for pre - reading as well as the entire EFML crew. And Thank you dear reader, for reading!And now as a reward… Mark of Cain's first OMAKE by the one and only Taryn Kimel ^_^ 

OMAKE: 

KENSUKE'S FIRST ASSIGNMENT 

"I can't believe it! This is so AWESOME!" Kensuke rolled back on hisheels excitedly. "My first real assignment!""Kensuke, I don't think--" Cho began."I can't believe that Major Kaji trusted me enough to give me a realmission!"Cho sweatdropped and began again. "But Kensu--""Ahh! I'm so excited! And it's almost completed! I can't wait to reportto the Major!"Cho sighed, shaking his head in defeat. There was the sound of zippingand the younger Kaji walked out through the bathroom door. Behind himsounded an ecstatic yell."Mission accomplished!" 

Document created with wvWare/wvWare version 0.6.7 -->


	5. Pain of the Hidden

Summary of Things-That-Happened-Last-Chapter: Shinji and the Gang helped Cho and Nyoko move into the apartment next to Rei's. Kaoru begins to understand how Angels are 'born' as Cain creates the Fifteenth before his eyes. Shinji tries to use music to tame the red headed beast but she smashes his cello instead. The Keeper undergoes its first field test with Unit 00 and Unit 02 standing guard, and with Unit 01 in the freezer. Gendo is still scheming, and Arael and Unit 04 have appeared in the skies above Tokyo - 3...  
  
Ender presents:  
  
The Mark of Cain  
  
Chapter Four: Pain of the Hidden  
  
Disclaimer: Eva is not mine. If it were I would have made more than one movie. ^_^  
  
"Hmmm... This one gets points for innovation at least..."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"It appears to be trying to bore us to death... Quite a refreshing new strategy if I might say so."  
  
From her place on the bridge Misato Katsuragi turned narrowed eyes towards her erstwhile 'partner'. "That kind of attitude is going to get us killed _Major_. We _never_ underestimate the Angels."  
  
To the purple haired woman's annoyance, Ryouji Kaji merely grinned at her. "I doubt making an off-hand remark makes us in any way less prepared for the Angel, Katsuragi."  
  
_We're in a crisis situation here and the fool's making snide comments?_ "Well it's not helping either Ryouji!"  
  
The unshaven man gestured towards the immobile enemy on screen. "You have a better idea perhaps?"  
  
Without bothering to answer, NERV's operations director turned towards the bridge crew. "Status update?"  
  
"Still no change," Hyuuga replied. "Target still hovering just outside our defense envelope."  
  
"No movement whatsoever?"  
  
"None that we can detect." This time it was Shigeru who responded. "It's maintaining constant distance."  
  
Maya piped in at that point. "I'm still getting some funny readings from its Blue Pattern... Almost like there's a shadow of some sort... I can't quite figure it out."  
  
From behind her, Ritsuko leaned over and eyed the readouts. "Hmmm... Strange. I don't think it indicates an energy build-up though..."  
  
"So it's not getting ready to destroy us from above?" Misato asked.  
  
The blond doctor shook her head. "No way to tell as of yet. We don't have any instruments that will tell us what this Angel is capable of... It seems inert according to all the readings."  
  
Misato was about to make a comment when Kaji spoke up. "Maybe it's looking for a nice, comfy place to land eh, Katsuragi?"  
  
The female Major gave the man a suspicious look before nodding in turn. "Whatever it is, we have to get the pilots ready."  
  
Kaji stroked his unshaven chin as he nodded. Then he turned to the nervous looking man beside him. "Denbe? Any ideas?"  
  
The creator of the Jet Alone, now the Keeper Task Force's Chief Engineer, almost flinched at the sound of his name. Denbe Terajima jerked his wide eyes away from the screen for the first time since the Angel had appeared. The appearance of the creature seemed to have magnified the man's already nervous nature. "Uhm, yes well... The Keeper isn't any more suited to long distance combat than the Evas, but it was constructed to be able to handle any of their standard weapons, so if you happened to have a spare..."  
  
Misato nodded and turned to Hyuuga. "Send up a pair of positron rifles for Unit 02 and the Keeper." While the Lieutenant was complying the purple haired woman paused, then added as if as an after thought. "And send up the prototype sniper rifle to Rei."  
  
As the necessary commands were entered into the computer, the men and women of both NERV and the KTF turned their gazes back to the creature floating docilely above their home.  
  
Maya was the first to break the silence. "Well, at least the Evas are already deployed... It's really quite a stroke of luck..."  
  
"Luck?" Kaji's voice had an odd catch to it that Misato barely caught. Glancing at him askance she saw that all traces of humor had gone from his handsome features.  
  
"What's wrong Kaji?"  
  
The former spy shook his head. A sardonic smile returned to his features, but not before Misato saw him glance meaningfully upward towards the command tower.  
  
"Let's just say that I don't believe that luck is a _lady_ tonight..."  
  
----  
  
Twenty feet above them, Dr. Umeko Takahashi was getting her first look at the enemy.  
  
"So that's an Angel," she said, her voice betraying none of the anxiety she felt. It was one thing to view an Angel on videotape, with the sure knowledge that it had in fact already been defeated. It was quite another seeing it appear, and not knowing if the bravery of the Children would once more be enough to save the day.  
  
"Yes," Professor Fuyutsuki answered. "It would seem that your pilots will be tested far sooner than we had hoped."  
  
Ume merely nodded, but inside she was struggling to control her emotions. She had never been suited for command... She'd never been able to help but grow close to her subordinates. Cho, Nyoko and even Kensuke... children who would be forced into harms way for the sake of the world, children she herself had brought into the struggle. If anything should happen to them... She ran a hand through her tightly curled brown hair, a nervous habit she acquired in College and had never quite been able to shake.  
  
"They are more than ready," she asserted, with a confidence she hardly felt. "They will prove equal to the task."  
  
This time it was not Fuyutsuki who replied. "Indeed. I expect no less."  
  
Seated before her and the Professor, Gendo Ikari had treated the arrival of the monstrous Angel with about the same amount of interest that an ordinary man would expend watching paint dry. Hands clasped before him, eyes unerringly focused on the screen, the Commander of NERV looked almost as inhuman as the creatures he battled.  
  
"It goes without saying however, that I find it extremely distasteful that it is the children who are forced to confront the danger directly, while we sit here and watch," Ume said, watching as the pilots received their instructions.  
  
"It is useless to rail against reality Doctor," Ume could almost hear the smirk in the Commander's voice. "One uses the tools at hand."  
  
"Tools are they ?" the woman was finding it hard to keep her voice neutral. "A fascinating description of men and women ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the world."  
  
This time she actually heard Ikari's snort. "You need not be so melodramatic. Do you truly believe that their youth assures such grand purity in their motives? Regardless, you have little to worry about... The safest place on Earth in the event of an Angel attack is inside the entry plug of an Evangelion."  
  
Ume said nothing as she returned her eyes to the screen. The large monitor showed scenes from outside the Geofront, the positions of the Evas and the Keeper, the latest readings on the Angel. One corner of the screen however, showed a scene from within the geofront. Immersed in liquid in one of the cages NERV used as storage space for the Evangelions, Unit 01 stood frozen in cryostasis, it's menacing visage looking for all intents and purposes like a demon from hell...  
  
"Funny," Ume whispered under her breath as she looked down upon Commander Ikari. "I would have thought that you a better liar than that..."  
  
----  
  
"An... Angel?"  
  
"Yes Shinji-kun, an Angel has appeared," Misato's image repeated the words slowly, as if talking to a child. Shinji knew that she was growing frustrated over his seeming lack of interest. "The Commander has given us orders not to release Unit 01 but I want you to be ready to go just in case he changes his mind ok?"  
  
_I don't care, I don't care anymore,_ What did he matter anyway? Nothing he ever did turned out right Every time he took the initiative at something, tried to change things for the better, things just ended up worse than before.  
  
_The twang of broken strings. The sound of splintering wood_  
  
No! He didn't want to think about that!  
  
_The force of the impact. The sound of splintering wood_  
  
Why had she done it? How could she have done it?  
  
His cello...  
  
It was the one thing that he could actually use to create instead of destroy, the only thing that enabled him to express his joy and happiness instead of his sorrow...  
  
Not that it mattered... not now. He doubted if he would have anything to be happy about anytime soon...  
  
But he had been so sure... So sure she'd _like_ it... So foolishly sure...  
  
"Shinji? Shinji!" The boy could hear the worry in his guardians voice. How long had he retreated into the darkness of his mind? With an effort he sought to straighten his posture, to look Misato in the eyes and give her a brave smile... All he managed to do was raise his head a little, so that he was actually looking in the direction of the screen instead of his chest.  
  
"Shinji you have to hold it together! This is no time for an attack of depression!"  
  
As if one could turn it on and off at whim. As if he wanted to feel this way.  
  
_The wetness of tears streaming down his face. The sound of splintering wood_  
  
"I'll be ready Misato," he coughed out. "I'll be ready..."  
  
----  
  
"Oh man oh man ohmanohman -!"  
  
"Ken relax," Cho sighed in exasperation. "You going into cardiac arrest is about the last thing we need right now ok?"  
  
"Aw c'mon Cho!" Kensuke replied, eagerness seeming to drip from his pores. "You can't tell me you're not excited Our first real battle! Against a real Angel!"  
  
"You don't say?" the young Kaji replied dryly. "And here I thought it was a large, white, mistletoe." The scarred boy remained in a crouched position within the bubble of the Keeper's 'Soul' module. Following the lead of its main pilot, the Keeper mecha itself had assumed a similar position next to a weapons rack. "Just follow the procedure ok? We've done this a hundred times in the simulator so it should be a piece of cake."  
  
"Of course! I could do a sensory sweep in my sleep!" Kensuke turned to his console and was about to begin typing in commands when his eyes brushed the on-screen image of the Angel once more. "Will you just look at that thing ? It's freakin' huge! It's like that episode of Gundam where - "  
  
"Er... Ken-kun?" This time the voice was female and came from Kensuke's right side. The boy turned to see Nyoko Aihara smiling warmly at him.  
  
"Yes, Nyoko-chan?"  
  
"Ken-kun," Nyoko began, her voice double coated in honey. "Correct me if I'm wrong but I seem to recall that I have a higher rank than you don't I?"  
  
The boy blinked. "Um yeah, that's right but I don't - "  
  
"Kensuke Aida! Report!"  
  
At the shouted command, Kensuke's military instincts took over, and he found himself snapping a smart salute at a suddenly stern looking Nyoko. The handicapped girls eyes narrowed as she continued.  
  
"You are hereby _ordered_ to cease all unnecessary chatter and commence an _immediate_ sensory sweep of the area, followed by all other functions specified in procedure 2.3 of the manual. Is that clear soldier?"  
  
The freckled boy gulped. "Er yes ma'am, I mean yes, sir I mean- "  
  
"_And_ if I hear one more 'oh man' or one more anime reference out of you I will _personally_ make sure that after today the closest you ever come to anything military will be a ten year old recruitment poster _got that_?!?"  
  
With an 'eep' the bespectacled boy turned swiftly back to his console and allowed his fingers to fly above the keyboard. One by one, the Keepers sensors came on line, and a steady stream of data began to march across the monitors of all three pilots. A moment later a three dimensional tactical map of the area popped up on the main screen, superimposed over the external view.  
  
"Sweep completed, commencing uplink to NERV Command Central." Kensuke announced, in a voice actually approaching calm.  
  
Cho chuckled. "That's more like it,"  
  
Kensuke managed to nod sagely before suddenly breaking out into a wide grin. "This is sooo COOL!"  
  
Nyoko sighed. "You're hopeless... Internal systems check out. Weapons systems brought to stand-by."  
  
Chojiro Kaji grinned. "Then we're ready to go." With that he stretched out his right hand, switching his attention back and forth from the external viewport and a wire frame model of the mecha at a lower corner. The pilots felt the slight shift as the Keeper mimicked Cho's movements, and as he closed his hands around an imaginary object, the mecha in turn seized a positron rifle and withdrew it from the rack.  
  
As the Keeper stood up, the face of Major Ryouji Kaji popped open on the screen. "Good work guys, we're sending you new coordinates now. Move to sector JJ-76 and take a position that will allow you some cover in the event that this Angel has a long distance weapon. We'll give you further orders when as soon as we discover what this thing is made of..."  
  
As he spoke, a red arrow appeared on the main screens grid map. After taking a cursory look, Chojiro began to 'walk', slowly maneuvering the mecha onto a larger avenue before breaking into a swifter trot. Nyoko's eyes were focused on her data readings, while one hand seemed to be clutching something in the pocket of her flash suit. The girl performed her duties smoothly, but her face betrayed a growing nervousness that she struggled to hide from the others...  
  
Kensuke though was oblivious to anything but his forthcoming 'baptism of fire'. "So what's the strategy Major?" He asked, eyes shining brightly behind his lenses. "Do we mow it down with some long distance PP or CE firepower? Get airlifted into space with a SAL Craft? Perform an IACM with a MPK on a PIAPT? Or maybe we could -"  
  
"Easy soldier, easy," Kaji replied, after recovering enough to respond to Kensuke's barrage of acronyms. "The tentative plan so far is to see if Rei can hit it with the new prototype energy rifle that NERV R and D developed. You're going to be deployed near Unit 00 so that you can provide cover if the Angel decides it wants to get 'intimate'..."  
  
Kensuke nodded enthusiastically. "Don't worry sir! If it gets within range we'll blast it out of the sky!" The freckled boy paused a moment as he realized a name was missing from the battle plan. "But Major... What's Asuka going to be doing?"  
  
At that the older man let out a sigh and glanced towards something that lay beyond his on-screen image. As Kensuke listened in the silence he could make out the noise of a heated argument going on in the background...  
  
"Let's just say," Kaji began, with a wry smile, "that Unit 02's role is currently being... negotiated."  
  
----  
  
"Damnit Asuka! Stop fooling around and get to your position!"  
  
"Nein! You can't be serious... Wait in reserve while Wondergirl takes point?" The red head only barely kept herself from spitting into the LCL. Did they think so little of her prowess now? Placing her beneath that damned doll... She wouldn't stand for it! "Put Mr. Kaji on the channel He knows my true worth!"  
  
Misato's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Kaji is busy doing his job... which is more than can be said of you. For the last time move to the assigned position!"  
  
"I'd rather DIE!"  
  
"Will you put aside your ego for just one moment?!? This operation requires a high degree of accuracy, and right now Rei has the higher synch ratio..."  
  
"That's a fluke and you know it!" Asuka screamed in reply. "I'm ten times the pilot that blue haired bitch is!"  
  
Misato was almost livid with anger. "If you were, then I wouldn't have any problems getting you to follow the orders of a superior officer! This isn't a game Asuka there is no way I'm risking human lives because you felt you had to _prove_ something! Rei is taking point and that decision is _not_ open for discussion."  
  
_Rei... They think even Rei is better than me..._ The redhead clenched her eyes shut in frustration. This couldn't be happening! She was the best! Asuka Langley Sohryu had _always_ been the best! But now... She shook her head violently, as if doing so she could rid herself of such unworthy thoughts. She'd show them... She'd show them who was a better pilot! She would show them she was better than Rei, better even than...  
  
_The churning heat of her anger. The sound of splintering wood_  
  
No damnit, she didn't want to think of that! He had it coming! It wasn't her fault!  
  
_His face etched with unbearable hurt. The sound of splintering wood._  
  
She was still better than him! Even if it was a mistake it wasn't but even if! it didn't make her worse than him! It didn't! She was Asuka Langley Sohryu! She wasn't... She wasn't a...  
  
_The heavy feeling of guilt. The sound of splintering wood_  
  
With an almost feral growl, the Second Child brought Unit 02 to life. Immediately the red Eva began running through the streets... Away from her assigned position.  
  
"Asuka?" Misato's shocked voice was music to Asuka's ears. She thought she could order Asuka Langley Sohryu around did she? "What in the hell are you doing? Get back into position!"  
  
The red head didn't bother to acknowledge her superior... At least not with words. Her Eva though began to run even faster through the empty streets of Tokyo-3, steadily picking up speed as she neared her destination.  
  
"Damnit, Asuka answer... " the Major broke off and her eyes grew wide as she seemed to finally realize where the red Eva was headed. "Oh shit - Rei! Rei get out of the way!"  
  
Asuka turned the corner in time to see the blue Eva react to Misato's warning. It was moving slowly however, and Asuka had the advantage of momentum. For a moment the Second Child was sorely tempted to crash into the cyclopean mechanoid, to beat it to the ground, to prove once and for all who was better at operating these big, dumb tools... But she wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight during an Angel attack. Besides, why bother, when she could show her superiority by turning her wrath on the angel instead?  
  
"One side Wonderdoll!" The redhead shouted as she rushed past Unit 00 and brought her Eva to a skidding stop beside the weapon rack containing the NERV prototype rifle. Though it had never been announced to the Children, she knew that all the Evas had already been outfitted with the necessary components to enable them to use such a rifle effectively. No one could make an adjustment to Unit 02 and expect her not to notice. Anyway, from what she remembered from the reports on the Fifth Angel, all it took was to pull the trigger once the computer gave the signal... If _he_ could do it, then so could she.  
  
With a swift motion, Asuka removed the rifle from the rack and hefted it in her Eva's hands, before turning to the aghast image of Misato. "I'm ready for my orders now Major," the Second Child said in a sweet tone of voice.  
  
The purple haired woman was speechless for the first few moments, jaw agape and eyes wide at the actions the red head had undertaken. Finally though, the Major recovered from her shock and the image on the screen began to tremble in near apoplectic fury. Misato raised a shaking finger at the monitor...  
  
"You... You... I can't believe you're doing this! Are you out of your mind?"  
  
Asuka twitched. Against her will, the girl found her guardian's words echoing in her head, spawning more accusations with each reverberation. Crazy. Abnormal. Insane. Out of her mind.  
  
No! She wouldn't think these things!  
  
"How _dare_ you call me that! You're just saying that because you're on _his_ side!" She spat out her reply with a vehemence that even surprised herself. "You don't care whether _Shinji_ follows orders.... You don't punish him when _he_ breaks the rules! As long as he defeats the Angels you're happy... Why should _I_ be treated any different?"  
  
"You're twisting the truth Asuka, and you know it!" Misato exploded. "And this is neither the time nor place for discussion so just- "  
  
"Let her do as she pleases Major."  
  
"Wha -?" Asuka couldn't see who the voice came from, but she recognized its emotionless tone and weight of authority. The Commander had spoken. The Commander had spoken... on _her_ behalf. It was all she could do to keep her jaw from dropping in surprise.  
  
Misato seemed to be just as amazed. The Major had already turned and was looking upward at someone off screen, presumably towards the Command Tower. "But sir, I- "  
  
"The primary goal of the Evas, Major," Ikari continued, "is to defeat the Angels. That is all that matters. If Pilot Sohryu can destroy the enemy, I care not how many 'rules' she breaks."  
  
"Commander you can't be- "  
  
"I thought you believed in obedience to one's superior officer Major?"  
  
As Misato stuttered a reluctant affirmative, Asuka found herself beaming with joy. At last! Someone who believed in her... Someone who'd at least give her a chance! Someone who wasn't on _his_ side... It hardly registered on the girl how strange it was for the Commander to take a hand in affairs, or to display faith in anyone other than himself. What mattered was that she had been given an opportunity to show them, once and for all, what Asuka Langley Sohryu was made of.  
  
_You can do it Asuka! You must!_  
  
"You won't be sorry sir... This Angel is as good as dead."  
  
----  
  
In space, two entities hovered just above the Earth's atmosphere. The larger of the two remained mostly inert, seemingly content to float placidly within the void. The other however, currently situated between two of the spiny protrusions along the first's 'back', was beginning to stir. Slowly, the entity which was equal parts Evangelion Unit 04 and Kaoru Nagisa began to make its way up along the crystalline body of the Fifteenth Angel, until it achieved a clear view of the blue sphere shining below them.  
  
_A field with a copse of trees... The sound of dishes rattling in the sink...A lilim dressed in a blue uniform..._  
  
Kaoru/Eva could not make sense of the images that had been intruding with greater clarity upon its senses. From its vantage point high above the ground, all that should have been visible to Kaoru/Eva were the natural features of the Earth itself. At so great a distance, none of the structures the lilim had erected as testimony to their arrogance, much less the lilim themselves, should have been accessible to him, even united as he was with the heightened perception of Unit 04. And yet... the part of the Entity that was Kaoru realized that it was receiving sensations that a lilim on the ground would see, or hear, or feel. If it concentrated, the entity realized that it could even pinpoint exactly where the impression had been received, that the house he had seen was at that particular dot, the field was in that specific point. The part of the entity that could still question wondered at this phenomenon, and decided it bore further investigation.  
  
_The sterile walls of a shelter... Rubber encasing my feet... Father's hand holding mine..._  
  
The entity discovered that every image was preceded by a pull on its mind, a summoning which plunged it down for but a moment among the consciousness' of the lilim. Somehow, the other entity, what Kaoru Nagisa would have named the Fifteenth, was dancing among the minds of the lilim, running ghostly fingers along the sanctuaries of their minds. Occasionally, it would draw the consciousness of Kaoru/Eva along with it, resulting in the flood of alien sensations. Each scan was more direct, each probe more in depth.... It was looking for something.  
  
_locked the house before... Rachel? Rachel where are you?...pray I don't fail, Lord please don't make me fail..._  
  
The sensations were different now, no longer merely surface level sense impressions, but the actual thoughts of the lilim, thoughts occasionally intertwined with intense emotion. Most of these the entity vaguely recognized as anxiety and fear... Lilim's facing the prospect of their mortality.  
  
_Sheist! I can't shoot it if it stays there! C'mon already Baka-Angel! Come down here and fight like a man!_  
  
The entity paused. These last impressions were different... Not only were they charged with an intense anger rather than fear, but the thoughts themselves seemed... amplified? As if there was something that was magnifying the emotions of the lilim, or that made it more susceptible to the touch of the Fifteenth. An image flashed into the mind of the entity... White flesh encased in red, form of the Father suffused by the spirit of... a mother? For once both parts of the entity knew instantly what it was. An Evangelion.  
  
Suddenly Kaoru/Eva felt a surge of energy from below. The Fifteenth had begun to gather itself, recalling the energy it had scattered among the countless lilim beneath them. Kaoru/Eva felt the force within the other build up...  
  
_Get down here! I won't let you beat me!_  
  
...Growing greater and greater...  
  
_I'm tired of getting beaten! I won't lose to Rei, to Shinji, to anyone, ever again!_  
  
...Until it reached a crescendo which echoed like music...  
  
_Do you hear me !?! Come and fight Angel !!!_  
  
... Like a song which reverberated across the walls of the universe...  
  
_KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS_  
  
And then, bringing with it the consciousness of the Angel/Evangelion, the energy flashed downwards.  
  
----  
  
Kilometers below, the world heard Asuka scream.  
  
----  
  
"What the - ? The enemy has a particle beam weapon?" Misato asked, as Unit 02 began to writhe within the beam of light that had swallowed it whole.  
  
"No," Shigeru replied, "no thermal emissions detected!"  
  
"Then what _is_ that beam?" Before anyone could answer that question, Maya broke in.  
  
"Abnormal reading in Asuka's psycho-graph! Mental contamination immanent!"  
  
"It's attacking across the ego borderline," Ritsuko added. "The Angels understand our psychology that well?"  
  
Further observations were cut off by a shrill scream coming from the Second Child, followed by a sustained burst of energy as the Sniper rifle fired an effort to reach the Angel, an effort rendered futile as the blast splashed harmlessly against an AT Field.  
  
"It's not working! It's too far out!"  
  
"But we're at maximum power output!"  
  
"Damnit," Kaji reached across Maya and keyed open the line to the Keeper. "Cho get her out of there!"  
  
Without a word, the six armed Mecha began a loping run towards the red Evangelion. As it turned a corner and spied its target it charged ... Only to be hurled away by a hexagonal distortion that appeared the moment it reached the pillar of light.  
  
"What the fuck -?" came Cho's pained voice as the mecha tried to pick itself up from where it had rebounded a kilometer away. "What in the world was that?"  
  
Misato gripped Hyuuga's chair as she leaned over his console. "That's what I'd like to know Hyuuga!"  
  
"It's some kind of energy oscillation using invisible wavelength... it's similar to an AT Field."  
  
Kaji looked up at the screen with his jaw clenched in frustration. "It's trapped her in there..."  
  
----  
  
_HALLELUIAH HALLELUIAH HALLELUIAH_  
  
----  
  
Within the entryplug, the girl clutched desperately at her head, trying to shield herself, shield her mind...  
  
STRANGLED  
  
The feeling of suffocation, of ghostly hands closing on your throat, your weak spot, your vulnerability. Where every word of praise, every level of expectation fills the air around you until there's so much pressure that you can't move, you can't think, you can't even breathe...  
  
(Is this what it means to be a lilim? This self destructive drive for illusionary status?)  
  
----  
  
"It's not working!" Nyoko shouted as Cho continued to punch and claw at the field that was keeping the Keeper away from Asuka. "The field isn't weakening at all!"  
  
"Then help me!"  
  
Nyoko nodded, then turned to a pale Kensuke. "Ken, take charge of monitoring the field." Without waiting for a reply the handicapped girl inserted her arms into the two metallic casts next to her seat. Instantly the mecha's second pair of arms came to life. Cho backed away and took a deep breath before nodding swiftly.  
  
"Let's do this."  
  
With that the two older pilots began swinging their arms in a series of powerful blows that impacted harmlessly against the AT Field.  
  
"More power! Kensuke, give us more power!"  
  
"Maximizing power output to arm-pairs 1 and 2... Now!"  
  
With a surge of power and the whir of servomotors, the mecha redoubled its efforts. The two pairs of arms became nothing but blurs ramming repeatedly against the AT Field with fists of steel and titanium. Nyoko hoped that if they breached the field, they'd have enough time to stop before they pummeled Asuka into a pulp.  
  
It proved to be a moot point. "No go!" Kensuke announced. "The field hasn't even weakened!"  
  
Nyoko ceased her punching, her arms already beginning to ache with the strain of their sudden and intense exercise. _How are we supposed to break that thing?_  
  
As if in answer to her thoughts Cho swore, "Damnit all! We can't breach a field this strong. Where in the hells is Rei?"  
  
----  
  
_...FOR THE LORD GOD OMNIPOTENT REIGNETH..._  
  
----  
  
She pulled on the trigger, again and again, oblivious to the hollow sound which was it's only result. She had to kill it... Had to kill it...  
  
HATRED  
  
The darkness that swells within you at the sight of those who dare to be different from you, who dare to disagree with you... and yet who beat you all the same. The need that drives you to pull them down beneath you so that no one else would receive praise other than you... The praise that would grow into the love that you have longed to have for so very long...  
  
(Hatred can be caused by love? Are they one and the same? Such intense emotions... How do the Lilim survive them?)  
  
----  
  
"Not an option."  
  
"What?" Major Katsuragi's voice sounded unusually loud to Rei's ears. She could see that her superior was nearing a breaking point more than anxiety over Sohryu, the Major was not used to the Commander countermanding her orders, something he had already done twice within the last hour. The woman had been in the process of ordering Rei to neutralize the AT Field surrounding Unit 02 to enable a rescue operation, but Commander Ikari had vetoed the idea.  
  
"That field manifests the Angel's ability to infiltrate the pilots mind. It would be unwise to risk contact with a second Evangelion."  
  
"But sir- "  
  
"The decision has been made Major," At that moment the Commander's image appeared on Rei's monitor. "Rei, you will retreat to area L-3 and maintain position. Do you understand?"  
  
If Rei had been asked her opinion, she would have agreed with Major Katsuragi. But her opinion was no longer required... The Commander had given his orders, and she would not question them. For Rei Ayanami had one thing that was lacking from the Major, and most of NERV in fact Faith in Gendo Ikari.  
  
Sohryu's anguished scream echoed once more through the open channel.  
  
"Do you understand Rei?"  
  
"... Yes, Commander."  
  
With that the albino turned aside Unit 00 and moved to her new position, as per the Commander's orders. But she kept the channel to Unit 02 open, and etched every sound into her memory. Faith has its limits... No one could order her to forget.  
  
----  
  
_...THE KINGDOM OF THIS WORLD IS BECOME THE KINGDOM OF OUR LORD..._  
  
----  
  
She crashed into a building, one hand grasping her head. Her body arched in pain as she shrieked, over and over, for it to stop, for it to end...  
  
MENSTRUATION  
  
Blood seeping down your legs, uncontrollable, unpredictable. A constant reminder of what you are and where your limits lie, of the fact that there will always be things that happen to you that you did not choose for yourself. Things that can come from within or without, and can take away your happiness before you even attain it...  
  
(The body limits, the body constrains... This much I know. And yet why should it cause such pain, such resistance? Is it not given for the lilim to be limited? Is that not what makes them lilim?)  
  
----  
  
A frightened boy reached for the controls of Evangelion Unit 01.  
  
_Help her... I've got to help her..._  
  
Shinji had listened as his father had vetoed every plan Misato proposed to defeat the Angel. He was glad that he wasn't on the bridge to see his Father sneering as he casually weighed the pros and cons of saving Asuka's life... He'd shut off the monitor as soon as the red Eva had begun to writhe beneath the Angel's mental attack, but that hadn't kept him from hearing the rising panic on the bridge... nor the tortured voice of Asuka. A voice he had heard so often, raised in anger at him over some insignificant detail, hissing in scorn over his failure yet again to live up to her standards. He remembered how her voice had changed the day she had found out he had surpassed her synch ratio. That was the great irony of the situation... The worse he did, the lower he was in the eyes of the Second Child... And the better he did, the worse he was in the eyes of the Second Child. But for all that he couldn't stop caring about what she thought... She was his co pilot, his teammate, his friend...  
  
_The twang of broken strings. The sound of splintering wood_  
  
And yet... What could he do? Every time he tried to do something, he just ended up making things worse. He didn't want Asuka to hurt, to suffer. But she... She hurt him so _much_... He'd do anything to make it stop. But every time he tried...  
  
_The wetness of tears streaming down his face. The sound of splintering wood_  
  
What could he do? He wanted to make all the hurting stop... But what could he do? He just made things worse, always worse... Maybe if he didn't do anything no one would hurt anymore... If he just did nothing...  
  
_The silence that follows the destruction of hope. The sound of splintering wood_  
  
Nothing...  
  
Slowly Shinji's hands returned to his lap as he tried to block out the agony of his friend...  
  
----  
  
_...AND HE SHALL REIGN FOREVER AND EVER..._  
  
----  
  
Where were they? Where was everybody? She couldn't take much more of this! Her hands trembled as she raised them to her head. Why didn't they help her? Kaji... Misato... _Shinji_...  
  
SHAME  
  
Failure, disappointment, humiliation... Others have such a hold over you. You are what they say you are, deserve only what they give you, they who you believe have no right to judge you. Yet there is one judge you can never escape, the one who is inside you, who watches the you-that-longs-so- much-for-praise...The judge that is filled with revulsion with your every move, who is with you when you cry, when you run, when you shatter music beneath your heel... The judge whom you can never escape, whom you can never please...  
  
(Such conflict... Such discord... Are the lilim not united even within themselves? Must they bring about so much pain upon their very own selves?)  
  
----  
  
"Do it!" Kaji shouted.  
  
At his command four rifles spat fire into the air as their rounds sped one after the other towards the light that surrounded Asuka's Evangelion. Again and again they fired, until enough smoke had emerged to cloud two blocks of city, until hollow clicks announced empty magazines... And still, as the smoke cleared, the light remained... Shining down on an increasingly immobile Unit 02.  
  
"Sir!" Kensuke's shout came over the comm line. "It's not working!"  
  
"Readings suggest no weakening of the field," Nyoko reported as the Keeper lowered the weapons it held in four of its arms. "No AT Field disruption detected."  
  
Seated in front of Kaji, Maya nodded. "Confirmed, no visible weakening observed."  
  
Kaji shook his head. "What is it going to take to breach that thing?"  
  
Beside him, Misato crossed her arms and stared angrily at the satellite image of their foe. "And even if we get Asuka out of there, it's only delaying the inevitable. We still don't have any way of reaching that Angel!"  
  
In the silence following her statement, ragged breathing could be heard from Unit 02, punctuated by the sharp gasps of restrained sobbing. Kaji clenched his fist uselessly at his side as he listened to Asuka slowly crumble beneath the mental onslaught. She of all people, deserved no further pain in her life... She's been deprived of family and of childhood, of any semblance of true affection. And what does she get for her troubles? She gets to be in the frontline of a battle with the only enemy who can give her pain that surpasses even that which she has experienced in the past. When he had learned in Germany of the horror and sorrow the girl had kept locked away, he had vowed to do everything in his power to keep her from suffering again...  
  
And now, when he had the power to stop her suffering, he couldn't bring himself to deviate from the plan.  
  
This wasn't supposed to be happening... It wasn't supposed to take this long. He had gone over the reports carefully, he thought he'd known how NERV would act. NERV _did_ have a weapon capable of destroying a target in orbit... he'd seen the damn thing with his own eyes. Technically it didn't exist, and thus Kaji couldn't very well suggest that they use it, but obviously the Commander knew about it. Even if the man needed clearance from SEELE to even touch the thing, Kaji had been so sure that despite the consequences, the Commander would take the opportunity to...  
  
Then suddenly, Asuka screamed.  
  
"No! Don't make me remember that! I wanted to forgot those things! Don't uncover them I don't want those terrible memories anymore stop this please stop it now!"  
  
"Doctor!" Maya shouted towards Ritsuko, "Asuka's psychograph just hit critical!"  
  
"Get her out of there!" Ritsuko replied. "Her mind is going to be permanently damaged!"  
  
"No go! The entryplug isn't responding to our commands!"  
  
"Damnit!" Kaji and the others turned their eyes back to the screen as the sound of Cho's shout echoed through the bridge. They watched as the Keepers primary limbs came back to life as its right hand reached over to the left and clutched it tightly. Kaji's eyes widened as he realized what his younger brother was attempting to do.  
  
"Cho! Don't!"  
  
"Ryouji, every second we waste-"  
  
"Damnit Cho," the former spy growled through gritted teeth, "you are not to take any action that I have not authorized! That's an order!"  
  
There was a slight pause from the other side as Kaji's brother wrestled with his self control. Around the elder Kaji the others were too distracted by the situation to pay too much attention to what exactly the former spy had prevented Cho from doing... or at least that's what Kaji hoped.  
  
Finally the Keeper released its left hand and returned to a ready stance. "Any other brilliant orders big brother?" Cho growled angrily. "Maybe dig a nice big grave? She's dead if this keeps up and you know it!"  
  
Kaji turned away, his jaws grinding together in frustration. He couldn't use it now, he shouldn't need to use it now... The unshaven man craned his neck towards the command tower. What in the world was Ikari think-  
  
It was at that point that he caught the look on Ikari's face. The man was looking directly at him, yellow tinted shades tipped downwards just enough that Kaji could get a clear view of the man's eyes. Those cold orbs held more than detached calculation this time... They were sparkling, almost questioning. As their gazes locked, Ikari raised an eyebrow ever so slightly before he spoke.  
  
"The boy is right Major Kaji. Do you perhaps have any suggestions? Some... alternative means of destroying the Angel? We are open to suggestions..."  
  
It was then that Gendo Ikari smiled.  
  
_He knows... Damn the bastard! He knows I've seen the Lance! He wants me to be the scapegoat..._  
  
Instantly everything fell into place why Ikari had countermanded Misato's orders, why he had let Asuka take the point position, why he had shot down every other suggestion that had been thrown his way...  
  
_He _does_ intend to use the Lance He just wants me to be the one to take the fall!_  
  
"Well, Major?"  
  
The spy was sorely tempted to go with Cho's solution, or to merely shrug his shoulders and ignore the bait, anything to throw a wrench into Ikari's well ordered plan. But every second brought Asuka closer to the edge of sanity, and Ikari had made sure there was no other way. Silently, he let out a vehement curse against the man seated so calmly above him, but when their gazes met once more, he had already made his decision.  
  
"Cho," he began, without taking his eyes off Ikari, "proceed to sector HJ- 03 and board the lift. You're about to take a little trip..."  
  
----  
  
_...KING OF KINGS ..._  
  
----  
  
Arms clutched tightly about her knees, head buried beneath her limp red hair, the quiet broken only by the occasional choked sob, the girl awaited her death. The pain, the defilement was no less than before... But the struggle was over. There was nothing left within her that could put up a fight. The final locks were broken, the demons of her soul loosed... There was nothing left to do but pray for it to end, one way or another...  
  
DOUBLE SUICIDE  
  
You were happy once, happy running across the corridor to the room that you hated. You hated it but things would be different now, you were a pilot, you were chosen, you were special, and now Mommy would look at you instead of that stupid doll and you could be together again and happy and you open the door and what is that hanging from the...  
  
You were never happy again...  
  
(Such pain... Suffering... Emotions... Cannot...Remain...)  
  
----  
  
"Recall your men Major!" Fuyutsuki shouted, "Access to Terminal Dogma is strictly prohibited!"  
  
Gendo Ikari watched as the spy shook his head. "No help for it Professor we aren't going to make a dent in that thing without the Lance."  
  
"Wha -? How do you..." With a visible effort the Sub-Commander brought himself back under control. The old man turned to the Lieutenants. "No one is to open any of the barriers without the Commander's orders."  
  
Ume snorted. "Give it a rest Kozou," the doctor stated as she laid a hand on his arm. "Nothing else has worked, what have we got to lose by following Kaji's suggestion? Besides, the actions of the Keeper mecha are outside your jurisdiction."  
  
Fuyutsuki let out a long breath. "You don't understand Ume, you can't just use the Lance of Longhinus!"  
  
Ikari decided it was time to speak. "There is nothing we can do Fuyutsuki."  
  
"Ikari?" His compatriot gave him a startled glance then leaned in close to the Commander's ear. "Are you insane?" he hissed, "The old men will not stand for this!"  
  
The Commander merely smiled. "We cannot turn time backwards," he replied in a low voice, "but we can spur its course ahead." Then Ikari raised his voice enough so that he would be heard across the chamber. "The Major has already made his decision. We would only be working at cross purposes if we hindered them now... you would proceed with the operation with or without our sanction would you not Major?"  
  
The spy looked upward and gave the Commander a smile empty of mirth. "Oh definitely, Commander. I take full responsibility for this action."  
  
Ikari nodded in reply. It appeared the spy thought he knew the game he was playing and had decided to go along. Good. There is no time that one is as vulnerable as when one believes he has figured everything out...  
  
"Release the barriers," Ikari intoned. "Open access to terminal dogma."  
  
----  
  
_... FOREVER AND EVER HALLELUIAH..._  
  
----  
  
The lift clanked into place as the Keeper re-emerged unto the surface.  
  
"What the hell is this thing?" Kensuke asked as he scanned the readings he was getting from the 'lance' they held in their hands. "All I'm getting are 601 errors... And how are we supposed to get close enough to the Angel to use this?"  
  
"What bothers me," Nyoko replied, "Was that giant crucified _thing_ we pried the Lance out of. Was that an Angel? What was an Angel doing in NERV HQ?"  
  
Cho's voice cut across their musings. "Less talk, more action. Kensuke, get me a visual on that orbital bastard."  
  
"But Cho how are we going to- "  
  
"Now Kensuke!"  
  
Gulping, the teen aged boy complied, his fingers dancing across the controls until a magnified image appeared on the screen., just as Major Kaji's face appeared.  
  
"Good," the elder Kaji said. "Now Cho I want you to-"  
  
"You've given enough orders for the day big brother," growled the scar faced boy. "I know what I'm doing."  
  
With that Cho pulled back his hand, ignoring the surprised cries as the Lance assumed a different shape, then threw it upward with all his strength.  
  
The Lance sped towards space, shedding clouds in its wake...  
  
----  
  
_...AND LORD OF LORDS..._  
  
----  
  
Kaoru/Eva reeled as it disengaged its mind from that of the lilim's. It had been unprepared for the sheer chaotic intensity that comprised the essence of the female whose mind Cain had allowed it to enter. The discord had steadily grown until the final surge of jagged memory had sent the entity reeling away, cutting the connection that joined it to the life form below. The other entity continued the onslaught, eager to dissect the being of the child of Lilith, but Kaoru/Eva could no longer summon enough strength to bear witness...  
  
It was then that Kaoru/Eva began to feel a disturbance from below it. The disturbance took the form of a call, a pull, which seemed to come from the Earth beneath it. Steadily, the pull began to increase in intensity, and Kaoru/Eva found itself responding, propelling itself through force of will past the glowing body of the Fifteenth, until it was floating in the void between the other and the Earth. Still, the pull grew stronger... The entity focused its attention towards the source and found itself staring at a six-armed mechanoid, carrying with it what seemed to be a...  
  
Suddenly the mechanoid pulled back and threw, sending its weapon streaking towards the Fifteenth. Time seemed to slow even as the entity realized that the weapon was accelerating faster than should have been possible, as it realized that the weapon would bypass it on the way to the other. Acting instinctively, with a speed borne from the fusion of lilim, angel and evangelion, the entity threw its left arm outwards and up catching the object just as it was passing its position...  
  
Pain engulfed Kaoru/Eva as its body made contact with the weapon, a pain that cut across body and soul. The entity felt its form warping where the object had touched it, felt its substance being sucked into the weapon as if into a black hole. Everything, body, identity, consciousness was being pulled into the weapon, bypassing all barriers, all distinction... And then, after an instant that had felt like an eternity, it was gone, flying past the entity at a slightly altered angle, passing without hindrance through the AT Field to strike a glancing blow at the edge of the pristine form of the Fifteenth.  
  
Before Kaoru/Eva could even recover from the initial contact, agony erupted in its mind once more. This time, the agony was not its own, but the pain that poured forth from Cain across the mental bond they shared. The form of the Fifteenth began to twist and contort, its sleek lines growing gnarled and warped as it sought to keep from collapsing into itself. Kaoru/Eva found its mind being battered by the force of Cain's pain and rage, summoning a like response from its own consciousness, until it was impossible to tell where one's mind ended and the other's began. The Fifteenth Angel, host of Cain, expanded and contracted, wound into itself while ejecting globs of matter, before finally assuming a bulbous form roughly the shape of a grasping fist.  
  
And then, with a mental roar that threatened to sunder the heavens, the two entities began to descend towards the Earth...  
  
----  
  
_... FOREVER AND EVER HALLELUIAH..._  
  
----  
  
"It _what_?" Commander Ikari barked, shooting to his feet.  
  
Below him, Shigeru Aoba shrank back from the Commander's unexpected show of emotion, but managed to stutter out an answer.  
  
"It... it missed sir... The Angel is still alive. The weapon seemed to have been deflected somehow. There's a lot of interference in the area and I can barely make it out but while it definitely hit the Angel, it was only a glancing blow. The Angel does seem to have assumed a new form from what I can make out..."  
  
"Was it the AT Field?" Misato asked.  
  
"Can't really tell but I think the Lance managed to neutralize the field... I'd need to do a thorough analysis of the data to be sure. The attack did get it to shut off that beam it was turning on Asuka."  
  
"What's Asuka's condition?"  
  
"I can't get a clear reading," Maya answered, "but whatever that thing did to her, it was bad. I'm going to need some time to determine what exactly is wrong with her..."  
  
"Time we do not have!" Ritsuko interjected. "Readings show the Angel has begun to descend towards Tokyo 3."  
  
"What's its status? Velocity, area of impact?" Kaji asked from beside the purple haired Major.  
  
It was Maya who answered. "At the current rate of acceleration, it should impact on downtown Tokyo-3 in twenty minutes."  
  
Misato rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Is it trying to use itself as a bomb, like the Tenth?"  
  
The unshaven man beside her shook his head ruefully. "We don't know but we don't really have much of a choice but to treat it as such neh? Although this one seems even more massive than that one..."  
  
The woman reluctantly nodded. "We'll want to catch it at a higher level this time, anything to decrease the force of impact."  
  
Kaji nodded and turned to Ritsuko. "Is it possible to pinpoint where exactly this lump is going to land?"  
  
The blond doctor typed in a set of commands then nodded. "Yes, the trajectory seems pretty straightforward this time... It should land in quadrant LH-97, practically centered upon the site of the Nippan Exchange Building."  
  
"That buildings a good 100 floors high right?"  
  
"Yes but what has that to do with- "  
  
"Can you raise the building to the surface again?"  
  
"What?!?"  
  
Beside the spy, Misato grinned. "I get it... We can have the Evas use the building as a platform so they meet the Angel at a higher level. They'll have an easier time using their AT Fields to catch it if they cut into the time it has to gain momentum."  
  
Kaji nodded. "But we'll need Unit 01 to do this... The last operation required three Evas. The Keeper can strike the final blow as long as an Eva catches and opens the field, but Rei can't do both of those at once."  
  
With that Major Katsuragi turned to the Command Tower. "Commander Ikari, requesting permission to reactivate Unit 01."  
  
For an instant the elder Ikari almost seemed to tremble with suppressed fury, but the moment quickly passed. Readjusting his glasses, the man took his seat once more. "Permission granted. Proceed."  
  
Misato whirled back towards the others. "Eva Unit 01, launch!"  
  
----  
  
"Now Shinji, remember how you stopped the Tenth Angel?" Misato said as Unit01 emerged upon the surface. "This is more or less the same thing, except that you'll be raised atop a tower to meet it at a higher point so that- "  
  
The boy didn't even look at the screen. "It doesn't matter Misato."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I can't do this."  
  
Misato blinked. "What what are you talking about Shinji? We've got ten minutes left before that thing makes a pancake out of our city! You can do this Shinji!"  
  
If anything, the boy's voice grew even softer. "I can't..."  
  
"Shinji snap out of it! You can! You have to!"  
  
"I can't!" the Third Child shouted at last. "Can't you understand? I'll just make things worse!"  
  
"Shinji," Misato whispered, a pained expression on her face. "Shinji don't do this now we need you- "  
  
"What's going on Shinji?" a voice interrupted. Kensuke's. The boy looked up to see the forms of Unit 00 and the Keeper closing in on his position.  
  
"Jeez Shinji...I know there were times when you didn't follow orders, and everything still worked out," Shinji's friend continued, "but I don't think this is one of those times. We can't beat this thing without you Ikari!"  
  
"Kensuke... I..." Shinji began in a broken voice, but then fell silent as he turned away from the monitor. No matter what they said, he just couldn't bring himself to believe that he could do anything. If he believed then he'd hope and if he hoped... The image of Asuka forced its way into his mind and the Third Child choked back a sob.  
  
"Ikari-kun."  
  
Blinking back tears, Shinji looked up to see the face of Rei Ayanami gazing down at him. For a moment they just stared at each other, and then Ayanami gave the slightest shake of her head.  
  
"I do not understand."  
  
Shinji looked away. "Nobody does..."  
  
The girl continued as if she hadn't heard his words. "You wish to help Sohryu. You have been ordered to help Sohryu. I am unable to observe a conflict."  
  
The boy shut his eyes tightly. "It... It's not that simple Ayanami... You don't understand..."  
  
"That is what I said."  
  
"We don't have time for this." This time, it was Kaji's face that appeared on the screen, tired eyes boring straight into Shinji's. "Listen to me Shinji, for all the talent and determination in this building, in this country, in this entire world, there are only six people who have a say today in whether the world lives or dies. Like it or not Shinji, you are one of them... You can _do_ something. And what you choose to do or not to do will affect us all."  
  
Each word seemed to increase the pressure on the boy, and he slumped wearily into his seat. "I don't want to choose for everybody," he whispered, "I don't know what to do Mr. Kaji..."  
  
"You will eventually Shinji," the man replied gently, "the moment you stop thinking and start acting."  
  
"Twelve minutes to projected impact Major," came Maya's voice from the background.  
  
Kaji nodded. "No more words everyone, you know what to do."  
  
"After what this thing did to Asuka, I don't think you need any further incentive," Misato added. "Give it your best shot you guys! Send this Angel down to Hell!"  
  
With that Unit 00 and the Keeper began to run towards the building, Unit 01 following reluctantly behind them...  
  
----  
  
"Six minutes to projected impact with tower Major Katsuragi," Hyuuga announced. "The Evas have reached their positions."  
  
The purple haired woman nodded. "Ok, do it. Raise the building."  
  
At her command the Nippan Exchange building began to rise slowly from the shelter of the Geofront, emerging from the surface and ascending to meet the enemy, humanities defenders resting on its rooftop. Misato glanced once more at Shinji's face on the monitor. The boy looked tormented, torn between his desires and the responsibility thrust upon his shoulders. Something had happened this morning, most probably involving Asuka, and it had crippled the Third Child. The Major cursed Asuka's timing... Then felt a feeling of shame wash over her as she realized that Asuka was more than paying the price. She resisted the urge to check up on the Second Child... Time enough for that after they had taken out her assailant.  
  
On screen the Nippan Exchange ground to a stop as it reached its full height of 132 stories, just as the incoming Angel became visible to the naked eye, steadily growing larger as it approached the Keeper and the Evas.  
  
"Building has been raised," Hyuuga said. "Impact in 3 minutes."  
  
Misato looked at Kaji, who nodded and gave her a smile. "We've come out of worse situations Katsuragi."  
  
The woman smiled in return but didn't answer. Instead she faced the monitors once more. "Prepare to extend AT Fields!"  
  
"Wait a second," Maya began. "That strangeness in the blue pattern has returned, it's almost as if there's something else..."  
  
Suddenly a blur of movement emerged from the Angel, a white object that hurtled unerringly towards the Evas.  
  
"What the- "  
  
"Oh my God!" Maya shouted as she whirled on Misato, "MAGI confirms two Blue Patterns! It's another Angel!"  
  
"That's impossible!" the Commander snapped, his eyes boring down at the startled female Lieutenant. "Re-check those readings!"  
  
The woman merely shook her head. "It's plain as day sir... two distinct Blue Patterns, not even duplicates like the Seventh!"  
  
Misato turned to the monitor just in time to see the second Angel about to crash into the oblivious and unmoving form of Unit 01.  
  
"Shinji! Get back!"  
  
Before the boy could respond to her scream the shock of two large objects coming together rocked the screen. When the dust settled however, Misato was surprised to find Unit 01 standing there unscathed. The second Angel was no where to be found... And neither was...  
  
"Kensuke!" Shinji screamed. Unit 01 was leaning over the edge of the building and looking down. "Nyoko! Cho!"  
  
Misato felt herself breathe in sharply as she saw the two intertwined forms of the Keeper and the Angel falling swiftly towards the ground. She turned to look at Kaji but he was already issuing orders.  
  
"Nyoko can you hear me? Hit the boosters when I give you the signal!"  
  
"We can't," came the girls ragged response. "It's clinging- "  
  
"Major!" Shigeru called out to Misato. "Impact is immanent!"  
  
On the screen, the bloated form of the first Angel was less that a kilometer from the rooftop, and closing fast.  
  
"Shinji, Rei, deploy AT Fields now!"  
  
A shimmering red distortion erupted from Unit 00 as it raised its hands to meet the threat. Unit 01 however, remained at the edge of the rooftop.  
  
"Shinji!"  
  
----  
  
"Cho!" Nyoko screamed. "Break free!"  
  
"I'm trying!" The other replied as he moved his arms against the suddenly tight restraints. After they had tackled the Angel, it seemed to have wound itself around them somehow, curtailing all movement, or deployment of the boosters. Cho couldn't even get a mental image of how they were entwined... All he could see from the monitor was a fleshy whiteness and a flash of red...  
  
Red! The core!  
  
With strength born of desperation Cho reared back his head, and brought it crashing down against the edge of the Angel's core. Instantly the things grip loosened enough for the Keeper's arms to gain leverage.  
  
"Push!" He shouted to Nyoko as they used four of the Keepers arms to push mightily against the expanse of white matter disengaging the mecha finally from its prison.  
  
"We're clear!" Kensuke crowed from his position. "Do it now Nyoko!"  
  
"362-Boosters engage!" Nyoko cried, issuing a voice command as the mecha plummeted past the tenth floor of the building. Instantly twin gouts of fire shot forth from the Keepers back and the pilots found themselves battling g-forces as the robot suddenly reversed its downward descent. In so doing however, the mecha crashed into the building, sending shock waves through the tower, before Nyoko could regain enough control to bring the Keeper down to a rough but upright landing.  
  
The three pilots exchanged deep breaths as the mecha picked itself up more than a hundred floors below where it had begun.  
  
"That was close," Kensuke breathed.  
  
"Too close," agreed Nyoko in a shaky voice, a trembling hand reaching into her suits pocket and coming out with a death grip on a Catholic rosary. "I thought this first Angel might be our last."  
  
"All right." Cho said as he brought the Keeper into a battle stance. "Where's the bastard? I hadn't been planning on taking the express elevator..."  
  
The face of Cho's older brother appeared on the monitor. "Forget about that one first, Rei's in trouble back on top. She can't keep the bigger Angel back for long."  
  
"But what about Shinji?"  
  
"Just get back up there." Kaji replied.  
  
The three pilots exchanged a long look. "Fine," Cho agreed, "Point us to the nearest weapons depot... We need to replace the ones we..."  
  
"Cho!" Kensuke interrupted. "Something's coming our way and fast!"  
  
"It's the Angel!" Kaji shouted. "Get back!"  
  
Without waiting for further instruction Cho bunched his legs beneath him and leapt to his right, just as a blur of white smashed into the building directly behind where they had stood.  
  
"We're sending up a set of weapons at a depot to your right side. Arm yourselves." Kaji ordered, just as the sound of a metallic panel sliding into place heralded the arrival of their weapons. "Nyoko, reroute control of the secondary arms to Kensuke while you prepare the shield for use. Looks like we'll have to deal with this one before we can kill it's 'mother'."  
  
"Acknowledged sir," Nyoko replied as she began typing at her console. Cho grunted as he and Kensuke armed themselves with a variety of long distance weapons: a rocket launcher and three pallet blasters.  
  
"Woo-hoo!" Kensuke whooped. "That Angel's in for it now... we're packing four times the fire power an ordinary Eva uses."  
  
A commotion from the debris of the buildings first floor returned their attention to the task at hand. Arising from the wreckage was a shambling, humanoid form. The Angel was covered with a pasty white 'skin' that looked more like muscle tissue, combined with what looked like assorted metal parts, except for the central crimson core. Its face was a hideous mask of glee, rows of huge teeth over a protruding jaw, malformed horn jutting out from its cranium as it gazed at the Keeper with glowing red eyes.  
  
"Man, he's an ugly looking one isn't he?" Cho whistled.  
  
"Yeah," Kensuke agreed. "But there's something familiar about-"  
  
"Time for this later children," Kaji interrupted. "Remember we can't spend too much time on this one."  
  
"He's as good as toast Major," Kensuke grinned. "Give the order Cho!"  
  
Cho nodded. "Fry him!"  
  
With that, four fingers depressed their respective triggers and a barrage of firepower flew towards the white Angel, riddling its body and sending it flying further back into the building.  
  
"That was easy," Kensuke said as they waited for the smoke to clear. "Guess these things are over rated..."  
  
"Guess again," Nyoko replied as she pointed towards the screen. As the smoke had drifted away, the Angel had returned to view. The three pilots watched in sick fascination as one by one it repaired the damage to its body, white matter filling its wounds, regrowing severed limbs.  
  
"O-kay that's it," Cho said as he dropped his guns and drew two prog knives from the rack. "We do this the old fashioned way." With that the Keeper broke into a run towards its foe. The Angel reacted slowly, sending a heavy handed backhand that Cho easily ducked. "Perfect," the boy grinned as he took advantage of the opening to thrust both his knives straight into the Angels core... only to have them deflected at the last moment by a familiar red distortion.  
  
"An AT Field?" Nyoko asked. "But why is it only over the core?"  
  
Before anyone could answer however, all three were thrown back as the Angel landed a punch against the Keeper's torso. Cho reeled back as the Angel's other fist sped towards him bit Nyoko blocked it with a focused projection of the Keepers force field. Nyoko stopped the next few blows but more and more began to sneak past her defenses, one kick causing a great deal of damage to the mecha's right hip.  
  
"Put some distance between us Cho!" Nyoko ordered through gritted teeth, "The force shield isn't designed to deflect melee attacks..."  
  
In response the Keeper leapt back a good distance, placing the better part of a block between it and the Angel.  
  
"Ok, brother," Cho began. "How do we kill this thing? I mean we can't get to the core because -"  
  
"Cho look out!"  
  
"Wha- ?" was all that the scarred boy could get out before the cockpit was rocked violently backwards. On the consoles of his two fellow pilots, alarms were going haywire. As for Cho, he felt the restraints connecting him to the Keeper tighten significantly, jerking his head backwards. He struggled to keep upright as a force seemed to push him back. All Cho could see within the screen of his wrap around headset was the late afternoon sky.  
  
"What's gong on? I can't move my head enough to see anything!"  
  
"Kensuke," he heard Nyoko say, "reroute to Cho the visual feed from NERV."  
  
A second later Cho was looking at the Keeper from the vantage point of a NERV camera. What he saw was the mecha arched painfully backward, with the Angels two hands wrapped around the Keeper's neck... hands attached to arms which had stretched to cover an entire city block in less than two seconds.  
  
"We're in trouble..."  
  
----  
  
"Shinji!"  
  
The boy was huddled in his seat, hands covering his ears as the sound of an AT Field colliding with an immense object resounded across the sky.  
  
"Shinji you have to get up!"  
  
Slowly the boy brought his face up to look at the monitor, only to find the Angel practically right on top of him. It was a hideous blob of white matter, nothing at all like the Angel he had seen on the monitors a half hour ago. The Angel that had hurt Asuka...  
  
All that stood between the Angel and Shinji was the light blue form of Unit 00. Rei had lifted her arms toward the sky and, together with her outstretched AT Field, was pushing desperately against the massive form of the Angel. Steadily however, she was losing ground, her Eva's feet digging deeper and deeper into the floor, forming twin furrows in the material of the rooftop.  
  
_Ayanami..._  
  
"Shinji, Rei can't keep this up for much longer! You've got to help her!"  
  
"I... I..."  
  
_The twang of broken strings. The sound of splintering wood_  
  
The Third Child's arms fell to his side, his hands opening and closing impotently.  
  
"I can't..." he whispered, "Misato... I can't..."  
  
"Shinji! What's wrong with you? Rei needs you!"  
  
"I can't!" he boy shouted. "I can't do anything! Stop depending on me!"  
  
"Shinji!"  
  
A ragged voice answered before he could respond. "I... Can handle this, Major."  
  
Shinji looked up once more to the screen. Unit00 had redoubled its efforts, straining with every ounce of power in its frame, it's cyclopean eye seeming to shine with a hungry light. At first, it seemed like the Evangelion was making headway, the Angel being forced backwards, slowly but steadily. It was then that Rei turned her hands inward, and began to claw away at the center of the AT Field, to allow it to reach the Angel's core.  
  
"Rei you can't do that!" Misato called out in a panicked voice. "You can't project a field and neutralize a part of it at the same time!"  
  
"There... is... no... other... option..."  
  
"Rei it's not going to work!"  
  
Instead of addressing the major, Rei's face appeared on Shinji's screen. "Ikari-kun," the albino said, calmly, despite the beads of sweat upon her brow. "You will not die. I will protect you."  
  
With that Unit 00 pulled the center of the distortion open...  
  
And the entire AT Field disappeared. Shinji felt the rooftop collapse beneath him as the Angel completed its descent...  
  
----  
  
In the Keeper's cockpit alarms were blaring out their warnings. Nyoko quickly scanned the instruments on her console... Things did not look good.  
  
"It... It's ripping the neck myomers apart!" Kensuke reported. "Get it off us!"  
  
"It's no use," Cho growled, as he struggled to release the Angel's hold on the Keepers throat. "It's too strong for just me!"  
  
"I'm on it!" Nyoko called out, pushing her arms into the control casts for the secondary limbs. Concentrating on the screen, the girl brought the Keepers second arms up and clutched at the Angels extended limbs, joining Cho in trying to break the Angel's iron grip. The girl strained against the simulated resistance with all her strength and the tide of the battle began to turn. Slowly, the Angel's hold began to loosen and the four arms began to push it away...  
  
Then the Angel shifted tactics. Instead of holding the mecha's neck it latched on to the Keeper's arms instead. Suddenly the Keeper jerked forward as the Angel's arms began to retract toward its body, pulling the Keeper along with them.  
  
"Watch out!" Nyoko shouted, "We're going to- "  
  
The rest of her words were drowned out as the Keeper was brought crashing against the white Angel, sending both figures tumbling to the ground. The pair of giant shapes rolled along the ground, locked in a struggle for leverage, before finally the Angel emerged on top, pinning the mecha to the ground with its knees while battering at its fallen foe.  
  
"Cho!" Kensuke called out. "Do something!"  
  
Cho let out a rebel yell as he brought the Keeper's arms upward once more, catching a white fist in each of its own. Several damage indicators flashed into the red as Cho pushed the Keeper's systems to the limit.  
  
Then the Angel turned its head directly toward the Keeper's cockpit, its demonic face seemingly leering at the three pilots as it let out an unholy roar. Nyoko remembered just in time that she couldn't cover her ears while her arms were in the control casts, and she felt the insides of her head being knocked around by the force of the cry, all thoughts extinguished save for one...  
  
_It hates us... Whatever it is, it hates us..._  
  
"Ken, shoot it!" Cho shouted over the din, "Use the weapons in the tertiary arms!"  
  
As seconds passed without a reply Nyoko turned in her seat towards their youngest co-pilot. The bespectacled boy was staring up at the Angel's monstrous face with a look of absolute horror, his body rigid with fear.  
  
"Ken!" she called out, "Ken snap out of it!"  
  
"What's wrong with Ken?" Cho asked urgently.  
  
"He's- " Nyoko began to answer, before she caught a flash of light from the screen. The handicapped girl looked up. The Angel's eyes had begun to fill with a malevolent energy... It had a beam weapon! Nyoko said a silent prayer as she activated the control casts once more.  
  
"Oh, no you don't!" the girl cried out as she locked her two hands together and brought them both arcing upward towards the Angel's face. The blow knocked the creature's head away, just in time to send the Angel's energy blast away from the mecha and into one of the Eva's 'refueling' stations, causing it to explode with tremendous force that once more sent both combatants flying. As Nyoko felt the Keeper climb unsteadily back onto its feet she could already see the silhouette of the Angel, looking even more demonic with the flames from the explosion as its back drop, as it once more approached the Keeper, seemingly unscathed.  
  
_What's it going to take to kill that thing?_ she managed to think before the sound of the Nippan Exchange building being ground to dust diverted her attention...  
  
----  
  
"No..." Misato whispered as the Angel impacted with the tower, hardly slowed by the structure as it sped towards the ground. Rei's gambit had failed. She hadn't been able to neutralize only a part of the AT Field but instead had ceased projecting it entirely, eliminating the one thing that had kept the Angel at bay. Now without the AT Field acting as an obstacle, the Angel continued its delayed descent towards the Earth, destroying the tower on its way down. If this Angel was anything like the Tenth, the ensuing explosion would wipe both Tokyo 3 and the geofront from existence.  
  
Misato scanned the stricken eyes of her companions, and knew they felt the same feeling of defiant resignation that she herself did. They had done their best... that was all God or man could ask of them. She felt her hand reaching for Kaji's, regretting that so much need be left unsaid...  
  
The Angel streaked past the tenth floor of the building, seconds from impacting upon the Earth's crust  
  
- and was stopped dead by an AT Field.  
  
"Wha -?" The purple haired woman blurted out. "Where'd that come from?"  
  
"It's Unit 01!" Maya replied.  
  
Suddenly an image of Shinji crackled to life on the main screen. The Third Child was sweating profusely, teeth gritted in determination.  
  
"Don't... think..." they heard him mutter through gritted teeth, as if reciting a mantra. "Don't think... just... act...  
  
"Shinji!"  
  
"Misato!" he called out. "Rei can cut an opening in the field as long as I project it, but she can't hold it open and attack at the same time. We need someone else!"  
  
Misato turned to Kaji, but the man had already opened the channel to the Keeper. The image of an equally grim Nyoko popped up on the screen next to Shinji's.  
  
"We can't! The other Angel has us pinned down over here! It's all we can do to keep it away from Shinji and Rei!"  
  
Misato cursed as part of the screen changed to display the Keeper locked in a struggle with the humanoid Angel. That left them with only one option. With a swift movement she keyed open the line to Unit 02.  
  
"Asuka!"  
  
----  
  
Somewhere in the shadows of her mind, the girl heard someone call her name. She didn't respond. She couldn't even if she wanted to. The present had been devoured by the past. Her attention was elsewhere, her mind fixed upon long hidden memories that played again and again upon the screen of her consciousness. The demons of her soul were non-too easily pushed aside once freed from their captivity. She wondered if she'd ever bury them again...  
  
"Asuka!"  
  
_Darling Asuka... Eat up you don't want to look like that girl in the window do you?_  
  
_Mama! I'm Asuka! Not that doll! Me! Me!_  
  
"You have to get up!"  
  
_I have to be the best so Mama will look at me again!_  
  
_I did it! I'm a pilot! Mama, oh mama..._  
  
_... Ma ma?... What are you doing ... up... there..._  
  
"If you don't we're all going to die!"  
  
_Come die with me Asuka..._  
  
_Die... Die..._  
  
"I want... to die..." the girl whispered, and clutched her knees closer to her chest, waiting for the demons to lead her to her Mother.  
  
"It's no use! She's lost it," she hears the woman's voice saying. She seems so far away... "Try to get Rei to back up the Keeper instead..."  
  
"Asuka!"  
  
That voice. It was no longer the woman's... It belonged to another, one just as familiar...  
  
"Asuka! Answer me!"  
  
An image formed in her head. A boy, her own age. Weak eyes. Gentle eyes. A rare smile that so often turned into a frown...  
  
_Him._  
  
"Asuka!"  
  
Shinji.  
  
_The twang of broken strings. The sound of splintering wood_  
  
The girl whimpered. Not all of the things she wished to forget had happened in the distant past...  
  
Shinji...  
  
"Asuka, I can't hold out much longer..."  
  
The voice broke up in a cloud of static, then returned, the boy seemingly in a great deal of pain.  
  
"Asuka! Please! We need you!"  
  
Need... her?  
  
But she was useless...  
  
"I need you! Hurry up!"  
  
Shinji... needed her?  
  
Invincible Shinji... needed her?  
  
Couldn't do something... which she could do?  
  
"Come on! You can't let it get away from you after what it did to you!"  
  
Who did what?  
  
Had something happened to her?  
  
_My mind..._  
  
Shinji's voice again. "It's right here Asuka! The Angel... We can get it!"  
  
Angel? The Angel...  
  
_... being eaten away..._  
  
Slowly her head came up. "It's... here?"  
  
"Asuka! You're back!" she heard the boy say, but she remained oblivious to the emotions in his voice. She was remembering something... and all else was being pushed aside by the emotions that were rising to accompany it.  
  
"The Angel... It's here?" she said, her voice nothing but a harsh whisper.  
  
"Yes, yes it's here. Ayanami and I have it pinned down but we can't kill it without you..."  
  
Kill... the Angel... The hate began to bubble to the surface, raising bile in her throat...  
  
"It's here..."  
  
"Asuka?"  
  
Kill... the Angel... She raised her eyes to the screen. Slowly, Unit 02 began to rise, its four eyes scanning the horizon... It didn't have to search for long.  
  
_It's defiling my mind!_  
  
Kill the Angel! There it was, held up by the AT Field... And there, oh so close, was it's red, beating, heart...  
  
_Make it stop!_  
  
KILL!  
  
Asuka screamed her rage and raced towards her hated foe, Unit 02's eyes radiating her hatred.  
  
----  
  
"Unit 02 has gone berserk!" Hyuuga shouted as the red Evangelion sped towards the Angel at an astronomical rate. "Readings are going off the scale!"  
  
"Rei!" Misato called out. "Do it now!"  
  
On screen, the bridge crew watched as Unit 00 deftly pulled open a gash in the AT Field as Unit 01 concentrated on keeping it up. The section had barely been opened before Asuka reached the Angel and plunged her knife into its core with all the strength the Eva possessed. It cracked in a matter of seconds...  
  
For an instant, Misato felt a heavy presence, alien and yet very familiar, wash over her as beams of light began to spew out of the jagged wounds in the Angel's core...  
  
----  
  
_~RETURN~_  
  
The command came to Kaoru/Eva almost as soon as the rage had vanished... The rage that had swallowed it's capacity for thought and free choice, that had engaged it in battle with the six armed shell of an Evangelion... a mechanoid. The rage was gone now, completely absent, replaced with the Presence that it had grown to recognize as Cain.  
  
_~RETURN~_ the voice repeated, but it's strength seemed to be fading along with Cain's presence. _~RETURN TO THE VOID~_  
  
_Master,_ Kaoru/Eva replied, _I do not know how..._  
  
There was a silence, and then Kaoru/Eva felt the touch of Cain along its mind, felt his Presence suffice itself like water enfolding a pebble. Kaoru/Eva felt itself move, felt itself rise into the air, yet it knew this was the work of the Other. Portals in its mind were opened, and Kaoru/Eva felt the power leak out of itself, and saw the gateway to the void form beneath its feet.  
  
_~YOU DO NOW~_  
  
And with that the entity disappeared into the Dirac Sea.  
  
----  
  
"Gods," Misato whispered to her companion. "They look terrible..."  
  
Save for one, they were all gathered together around the powered down form of Unit 02 when Misato and Kaji stepped down from the transport. Two Eva Pilots and Three Keeper Pilots, all worn down by the day's ordeals, going over them in their own private thoughts. Misato looked around and read the weariness in their movements, weariness and something more, something specific to each one. Kensuke was lying on a stretcher with a hand covering his face, occasionally hyperventilating before Nyoko could calm him down. The handicapped girl herself had an expression that alternated between concern and relief, her head bowed seemingly in prayer when she was not attending to Kensuke. Rei was standing to one side, which was not in itself unusual, but she had her head cocked at a strange angle, almost as if she was listening for something.  
  
The two remaining boys, Cho and Shinji. were closer to Unit 02. The older boy had his hand on the Third Child's shoulder and seemed to be telling him something. Cho finished talking and pushed Shinji gently forward with his hand.  
  
"Go on," she heard the scarred boy say as she and Kaji came closer. "What's the worst she could do?"  
  
Misato heard Shinji mumble something indecipherable before he hesitantly ducked beneath the quarantine tape and move closer to the red Evangelion. The Major realized she should technically stop such action but she merely watched as he headed for the red haired girl. Meanwhile she heard Kaji call out a greeting to his brother.  
  
"Cho, are you- " was all that she heard him get out before the sound of a fist hitting flesh snapped her attention back to the brothers.  
  
The elder Kaji was lying on the debris strewn floor, one hand rubbing his unshaven chin where Cho's punch had connected. The scarred boy was standing over his brother, clenched fists trembling at his side, looking for all the world like he was about to pounce on the older man. Swiftly Misato imposed herself between the two, pushing the younger Kaji away.  
  
"What the hell has gotten into you?" she fumed at him. "Haven't enough people been hurt today?"  
  
"Butt out Misato," Cho growled. "There would have been a lot less of that if not for Ryouji."  
  
The woman refused to give ground. "He did the best he could Cho! What are you blaming him for?"  
  
The boy seemed about to say something, then changed his mind in mid sentence. "You... You don't know what you're talking about Major," he responded angrily. "You don't know what's really going on here, so how would you know who was doing his job?"  
  
Before she could reply to that Kaji lay a hand on her shoulder. He had picked himself up during the argument and now stood behind her, with a totally inappropriate smile on his face. "Don't worry about it Katsuragi," the spy said. "We're all a bit hot tempered when we're young and ignorant."  
  
Cho's reply was immediate. "Don't patronize me damnit!" he shouted, pointing angrily at his brother. "You know very well what you did today!"  
  
At that the elder Kaji fell silent, and he turned his face towards the figures of Shinji and Asuka.  
  
"More than you know," Kaji replied sadly, "More than you will ever know..."  
  
----  
  
He approached gingerly, careful not to disturb her. He didn't know why he was keeping so quiet... He'd disturb her anyway the moment he spoke. Maybe he just wanted to postpone it for as long as possible. The scars from the morning still hurt, and they would be a long time healing.  
  
_The twang of broken strings. The sound of splintering wood_  
  
Be that as it may, Cho had been right. Things like this had a way of putting a proper perspective on events. 'Whatever she did,' the scarred boy had began. 'She's gone through something worse just now. And she needs someone to remind her she has friends. Whether or not she chooses to make use of them is up to her however.' When Shinji had said he couldn't do anything about it the older boy had merely grinned and pushed him forward.  
  
"You're right." He had said. "Assuming all you do is stand over here."  
  
So here he was, standing right behind her but still silent, at a loss of what to say or do. _It doesn't sound as if she is crying or anything,_ the Third Child thought to himself. _She probably doesn't need me..._ As he was about to turn away however, the girl's shoulders jerked violently upwards. The movement stopped, but came again as Shinji watched, after a few seconds. Was the Second Child... crying?  
  
"Asuka..." the boy whispered and took a tentative step closer. "Are you ok?"  
  
Her shoulders stopped moving, and for a moment her entire body tensed up. Shinji retreated backwards, sure that she was going to leap up and hit him for asking such an inane question. 'Are you ok?' what kind of an idiot asks that after something like this?  
  
To his surprise however most of the tension evaporated as soon as it arrived. Slowly the Second Child stood up, taking deep breaths as she did so, before finally speaking. The way she spoke however... It was as if she wasn't even aware that he was standing there, as if her words were directed to herself rather than to anyone else, in a tone of voice that was dead to emotion.  
  
"Dirty... Feel so dirty... But I got him. That's what matters isn't it? That I got him?" she whispered woodenly. She turned around then and gazed towards Shinji with eyes that looked straight through him without seeing him. "It doesn't matter that no one helped me... I didn't need their help. Never need anyone's help... But I was so... I needed..."  
  
The Second Child began breathing more rapidly then, and she brought herself under control only after visible effort. Shinji took another step closer but the girl remained outwardly oblivious.  
  
"I won... Didn't I? Then why aren't I happy? I... I deserve to be happy don't I? Please..." Asuka continued, her voice cracking towards the end as she struggled to hold back tears. Even if she wasn't listening to him, Shinji knew that he had to say something...  
  
"You... got him Asuka," Shinji replied weakly. "He's gone. You won."  
  
At first it seemed that she still hadn't heard him. But then her head shot up sharply and Shinji found himself staring at her tear streaked face. The girl blinked as her eyes focused on him, then she turned away again. When she faced Shinji once more it was as if she had drawn a cracked mask over her features, trying to put on her normal, confident expression. All she succeeded in doing was lifting her chin an inch and putting on the shadow of a smile...  
  
"You... think so?" she began quietly. Then as if realizing that she now had an audience she shook herself and tried to use a more forceful tone of voice. "Damn right I did! And more than that - I didn't need you or...or wonder girl, or Kensuke's new friends to save me!" she crowed - or at least she tried to. It came out more desperate than confident. "All I needed was myself ... Me, Asuka... I showed them all... didn't I Shinji?"  
  
Shinji resisted the urge to correct her. There was no way any of them could have defeated those two Angels by themselves Shinji shuddered to think about what would have happened had the Keeper not been there to draw away the second Angel. But despite her words, Shinji felt Asuka knew that as well. Behind the forced confidence was an urgent need for reassurance, behind the pride was a girl who could collapse if not propped up by affirmation. Such insight into others may be rare to Shinji, but he was wise enough to heed it when it came.  
  
"Yes you did Asuka," the boy said as he nodded his assent. "You did good today..."  
  
Those two sentences has a visible effect on his friend. Her eyes brightened, and her posture straightened... A bit of the falsity vanished from her expression and her banter gained a more natural tone. "Good?" the redhead asked. "I was great today Shinji! I'm always great! And don't you forget it Baka-Shinji!"  
  
With that the girl gave her long red hair a flounce before walking past Shinji without a backward glance. Before she had moved away completely however, the Third Child heard a soft voice call his name.  
  
"Shinji?"  
  
There was a pause. Then...  
  
"I'm... sorry..."  
  
And with that she was gone.  
  
----  
  
"This was not in the scenario was it?"  
  
"Neither mine, nor theirs. We have entered uncharted territory."  
  
"I don't like the sound of that."  
  
"Neither do I Professor... Neither do I."  
  
----  
  
  
  
_...AND HE SHALL REIGN FOREVER AND EVER..._  
  
_HALLELLUIAH_  
  
-------------  
  
Authors notes: Well, there you have it. I did promise another ending for the Fifteenth didn't I? I hope it wasn't too obvious that I did this chapter disjointedly and in varying states of mind... It was hard for me to do, especially the scenes with Kaoru/Eva and within Asuka's mind.  
  
Another problem I encountered was the fact that with the addition of the three top tier Keeper Task Force officers (Ume, Kaji and Denbe), I have a _really_ crowded bridge. The result is that I can't have everyone giving reactions, so aside from Misato and Kaji, the others received less screen time. (Ritsuko and Ume in particular... And Denbe has approximately two lines in this whole chapter ;p Then again he was probably cowering in a corner @_@) This will probably remain a problem, but I won't be doing a lot of character development in the Bridge during a battle anyway... Denbe and Ritsu can have their monologues some other time :)  
  
I hope I was able to use the Halleluiah Chorus effectively as well... I just could not write this chapter with the right feel if the Chorus wasn't alluded to within... I hope I'm not delusional when I say that I think it worked out fairly well. Likewise I hope my 'battle' scenes were ok... I'm not used to writing for mecha that are in motion yet.  
  
I also hope that the effects of the cello smashing incident last chapter were felt and dealt with adequately in this one. Many thanks to Daniel Snyder for bringing the incident into more of an emphasis in my eyes, and while its effects will still be felt for a while, the evens of this chapter will enable both of the children to start recovering... With outside help of course.  
  
This chapter might raise a lot of plot related questions... First, the 'pillar of light' acting like an AT Field. Well, Hyuuga does say it resembles an AT Field in the readings so I felt it would make sense... Besides I needed to find a way to keep Asuka there despite the presence of the Keeper (who would be more than capable of ripping her away from there otherwise.)  
  
Second, as to what exactly Cho was planning to do before Kaji stopped him, and why he seemed to know something about the Lance, that will be elaborated later on... (Much later on actually if memory serves me...)  
  
Third, as to why Asuka was acting 'normal' in the end, this is because of the massive confidence boost I'm assuming she'd get from a. killing an Angel and b. An Angel that had caused her so much pain. This is not to say that she isn't affected by the mental beating she took, but in this scenario she keeps her pride, and that's the crutch that will allow her to seem 'normal'. This also explains her magnanimous apology to Shinji at the end... She's recovered a little bit of esteem from this and she can afford to be 'nice'.  
  
All in all I think that worked out ok, but as usual tell me what worked and what didn't work for y'all. Once again and with feeling, much thankings for this you guys! ^_^  
  
This is really the end of the first 'arc'. Up till now I've been sticking fairly closely to the Eva timeline, but as Gendo and Fuyu imply at the end, we are now entering uncharted territory. Throw your Dead Sea Scrolls out the window ladies and gentlemen... It only gets more fun from here on out ^_^  
  
Thanks once more to Daniel, Myssa and Taryn, my able pre-readers, as well as the entire EFML.  
  
-Ender 


End file.
